Giant African snail

Scientific name: Achatina fulica

Country: Kenya, Tanzania, introduced to many more countries worldwide

Continent: Africa

Diet: Leaves - folivore, herbs - forbivore

Food & feeding: Herbivore

Habitats: Tropical grassland, tropical dry forest, urban

Conservation status: Not Threatened

Relatives: Partula snail

Description: A snail that lives in a large shiny conical shell with darker bands running across the spiral. They are usually around 7 cm in size, but can reach 20 cm. They move along on a single foot, driven by waves of muscle contraction in the sole of the foot. A gland at the front of the foot produces slime for the foot to slide over. Teeth are carried on a flexible strap in the mouth, called a radula, that is used like a file, grinding away at the plants they feed on.

Lifestyle: These snails are active mainly at night. During the day, they shelter from the tropical sun under stones or leaves. Those that do not find shelter before sunrise overheat and die. Their dried out empty shells are a common sight on lawns in tropical Africa.

Family & friends: These snails are hermaphrodite which means each one carries both eggs and sperm, but they need to mate with each other to fertilise their eggs.

Growing up: Up to 200 eggs are laid in damp places five or six times a year. About 90% of these eggs hatch. Adult size is reached in just 4 months. This species can reproduce very quickly.

Conservation news: This species has been introduced by humans all over the world. It breeds rapidly, carries a number of parasites harmful to humans, out-competes native species of snails and reaches such large numbers that other predatory species of snail, such as Euglandina rosea, have been disastrously introduced in some areas to control them. In Polynesia, Euglandina has caused the extinction of dozens of native species of tree snail.

Bristol Zoo Gardens keep both Achatina fulica and the closely related species, Achatina achatina.

This species has been nominated as one of the world's 100 worst invasive species! However, they are useful as they are harvested for food.