Giant African Land Snail (Achantina Fulica)

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Family: Achatinoidea

Genus: Achatina

Traits and Behavior

The Giant African Land snail clearly possesses all of the textbook Gastropod features including a coiled univalve shell that is usually twice as

high as it is wide, a large creeping foot and 180 degree torsion of the visceral mass from the foot. In addition to these inherited traits large air

breathing snails have a unique ability known as Aestivation. Aestiviation is a state of hibernation in response to dry or hot conditions. During

aestivation the snail creates an airtight seal within its shell by secreting a calcareous compound that dries in contact with air

Life Cycle and Reproduction

A. Fulica's average life span is 5-6, although it has been recorded they can live up to 10 years in captivity. A snail reaches a mature size of 7cm

tall and 20 cm wide within 6 months of hatching.

The snails are simultaneous hermaphrodites, but asexual reproduction is virtually non-exsistent.

When two snails mate the larger snail acts as the female and exchange of gametes can take up to 3 hours. Once sperm is present in the snails

body it can be held dormant for almost 2 years. In an average clutch there are 200 eggs and there is a 90% viability.

Ecological Significance

The Giant African Land Snail is native to eastern Africa, but it is currently one of the most widespread invasive species in the world, and largely because of human activity. In many countries the snails were imported for escargot farming, this snail is also the most common pet snail in the world. Once displaced the snails are quick to disperse because of their large breeding capacity and non-specialized herbaceous feeding. Typically once introduced A. Fulica occurs in dense populations in personal gardens and small scale agriculture attacking lettuce, cabbage and papaya and many other crops often threatening the native snail species.

Beyond the impact these snails have on the ecology of foreign habitats they also effect human health since they are a vector for many parasites including Angiostrongylus Cantonensis which causes meningitis.

Efforts have been launched all over the globe to reduce the spread and impact that the african land snail. In the United States the snails have “quarantine significance” meaning it is illegal to release them into the wild or transport them in any way. In parts of Brazil a five month collection lead to over 4000 kg of snails being systematically destroyed in 2006 . The snails were placed in 2cm ditches and rolled over with steam rollers then covered with soil and used

as fertilizer.

Sources

Barker, G. M. (2002). Molluscs as crop pests. Wallingford, Oxon, UK: CABI Pub.

Ohta, N., Kubota, I., Takao, T., Shimonishi, Y., Yasuda-Kamatani, Y., Minakata, H., . . .

Kobayashi, M. (1991). Fulicin, a novel neuropeptide containing a D-amino acid residue

isolated from the ganglia of Achatina fulica. Biochemical and Biophysical Research

Communications, 178(2), 486-493. doi:10.1016/0006-291x(91)90133-r

Takeuchi, H., Yokoi, I., Mori, A., & Kohsaka, M. (1975). Effects of nucleic acid components

and their relatives on the excitability of dopamine sensitive giant neurones, identified in

ubesophageal ganglia of the African giant snail (Achatina fulica Férussac). General Pharmacology:

The Vascular System, 6(2-3), 77-85. doi:10.1016/0306-3623(75)90035-x