Page 63 - World of Animals - Issue #33

Brilliant breeders

They might be viewed as pests, but the giant African land It is usually the larger snail that acts
snail’s worldwide invasion is testament to its amazing as the female during the mating process,
reproductive capabilities. A single snail has the potential to and goes on to lay eggs. However, if the
lay around 200 eggs at a time, with a hatchling survival rate snails are a similar size, it is possible
of around 90 per cent. Newborn snails only take around six for them to simultaneously exchange
months to reach sexual maturity, so a once snail-free area eggs and sperm, resulting in them both

can soon become infested with plant-chomping molluscs. producing offspring.
Giant African land snails are hermaphrodites, meaning Each snail holds on to sperm from
they have both male and female reproductive organs. multiple partners. They then fertilise and
Although they don’t technically need a partner to reproduce, lay their eggs in fi ve or six clutches over the
they will always mate with another snail if one can be found. course of a year. Once the eggs have been
Young snails will usually look out for an older partner, as this deposited in a nest, the young are on their own
is more likely to result in successful breeding. – the parents will have no role in raising them.

ABOVE
Giant African snails
do not breed at a
particular time of
the year, but under
the right conditions
they can produce
hundreds of eggs

Snails for supper
You might not think giant snails look
particularly appetising, but plenty of
animals find them irresistible. Hermit

crabs are among the snails’ most feared
predators, greedily pinching at their so
flesh before stealing their large shells to

use as mobile homes. The world’s largest
arthropod is also a threat to the land snail;
coconut crabs can reach one metre (3.3
feet) in length, and act as a natural defence
against the invaders on their native Indo-
Pacifi c islands.
Other known predators of the giant
African land snail include birds, rats,
centipedes, millipedes and ants. However,
the most notorious land snail eaters of all
are humans. Just like the escargots found
in French restaurants, giant snails boast an
appealing nutritional combination – they’re
high in protein and low in fat. Snails are
also much easier to farm than traditional
livestock and, unlike cows and sheep,

their existence has no effect on levels of
methane in the atmosphere.
While eating a parasite-infected snail can
occasionally cause illness, there’s no risk of
this as long as they’re farmed and cooked in
the right way. So assuming we can stomach
their slimy texture, there’s a chance that
these gastropods could become the next
gastronomic craze.

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