Page 62 - World of Animals - Issue #33

Giant African land snail

The world’s largest land snail

Meet the mega-mollusc that’s slithering across our
planet and devouring entire orchards in its trail
Giant African land snails are the world’s largest terrestrial “The girthy gastropods never
snails. These super-sized slowpokes originate from East Africa,
but their range has spread significantly due to accidental stop growing, with larger
introduction within other tropical climates.
Since being let loose in non-native ecosystems, populations individuals reaching around
of the giant African land snail have spiralled out of control in
countries including China and the US. The large snails have a 20 centimetres in length”
voracious appetite for vegetation, damaging fields and orchards
full of agricultural crops and native plants. As carriers of the rat
lungworm parasite, they can also transmit disease to humans
and other animals, though this is relatively rare.
Don’t let this snail’s invasive reputation put you off it
completely. Giant African land snails are fascinating animals,
admired by exotic pet enthusiasts due to their admirable size
and intriguing habits. The girthy gastropods never stop growing,
with larger individuals reaching around 20 centimetres (7.9
inches) in length. Their conical shells are particularly impressive;
they come in a variety of patterns and colourations, and each
one looks different depending on what the snail has eaten.
Another amazing adaptation of the giant African land snail
is its tongue, known as a radula. This is covered in hundreds of
tiny tooth-like projections, used to grab food and break it into
digestible pieces. Since calcium is an important element of the
snail’s diet, they will happily gorge on mineral-rich materials
such as bones, stones and sand alongside their favourite plants,
fruits and vegetables.

Eye
Snail eyes are located at the
tips of their tallest tentacles,
which can be moved Shell
around independently. Their Land snails are born
smaller lower tentacles are with their shells,
used for smelling. but they are so
and
transparent at first,
and require calcium
to harden up.

Radula (not visible)
The radula is the snail’s
tongue. This toothy ribbon
is used to grind down
and rake up food such as
plants and algae.

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