Giant African snail Facts
Giant African snail Facts
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| Interesting Giant African snail Facts: |
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| Giant African snail can reach 3 to 8 inches in length and around 1.13 ounces of weight. |
| Giant African snail has large, conical shell that can be 4 to 7 inches long, and made of 7 to 9 spirals. Shell can be brown with dark-colored stripes, or reddish to yellowish-colored with vertical markings. |
| Giant African snail has two pairs of tentacles on its head. Eyes are located on the top of the first pair, while second pair bears sense of smell. Giant African snail has large, muscular foot and well-developed tongue (called radula) covered with tiny spikes. |
| Giant African snail moves very slowly and produces slimy mucus to facilitate movement across the substrate. |
| Giant African snail is active during the night (nocturnal). It sleeps during the day hidden in the soil. |
| Giant African snail is vegetarian. It eats different types of leaves, fruit, vegetables and flowers. |
| Giant African snail consumes 500 different types of plants. It is classified as one of the 100 most invasive animals on the planet. Giant African snail easily occupies new areas and produces huge damage on the agricultural fields. It also transmits various diseases. |
| Giant African snails are often used as fishing baits and for the manufacture of chicken feed and different types of biological compounds. |
| Natural enemies of giant African snails are ground beetles, caterpillars, wild boars, rats and various birds. |
| Giant African snail hides inside the shell during extremely hot and cold periods of year. It can drastically reduce its metabolism and survive few months or few years without food. |
| Giant African snail is solitary creature. It meets with other giant African snails only to mate. |
| Giant African snail possesses both types of reproductive organs, but is requires a partner for the successful mating (self-fertilization happens in extreme cases). |
| Giant African snail lays eggs among rocks, leaves and dirt on the ground. Eggs hatch after 11 to 15 days. Young giant African snails reach adulthood 6 months after hatching. |
| Giant African snail can produce 6 clutches of eggs per year, each made of around 200 eggs. 90% of newly hatched giant African snails survive till adulthood. |
| Giant African snail has an average lifespan of 5 to 7 years. It can survive up to 10 years in the wild under favorable conditions. |
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