East African Land Snail
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Gastropoda Order: Pulmonata Family: Achatinidae Subfamily: Achatininae Genus: Achatina Species: A. Molluscs are animals belonging to the phylum Mollusca. There are around 250000 extant Species within the phylum with an estimated 70000 The class Gastropoda or the gastropods, also previously known as gasteropods, or univalves, and more commonly known as Snails The Pulmonata or "pulmonates" are an order (once a Subclass) of Snails and Slugs that have developed a pallial Lung Achatinidae (New Latin from Greek " agate " is a family of medium to large sized tropical land Snails terrestrial Pulmonate UserPolbot. --> Achatina is a genus of medium-sized to very large air-breathing Tropical land Snails fulica
Binomial name
Achatina fulica [1] (Férussac, 1821)

The East African Land Snail, Achatina fulica, is a terrestrial pulmonate snail species that has been widely introduced to Asia, to Pacific and Indian Oceans islands, and to the West Indies. Year 1821 ( MDCCCXXI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year The Pulmonata or "pulmonates" are an order (once a Subclass) of Snails and Slugs that have developed a pallial Lung The word snail is a Common name that can be used for almost all members of the Molluscan class Gastropoda which have coiled shells in the The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting It has also been intercepted widely by quarantine officials and incipient invasions have been eradicated, for instance in the mainland USA. ^[2]

More recently, the land snail has become a common pet, however they are illegal in some countries including the United States ^[3]. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the They are easy and cheap to keep, and if bred in captivity, are unlikely to carry any parasites.

Contents 1 Description 2 Habitat 3 Nutrition 4 Reproduction 5 Life cycle 6 Population control 7 Notes 8 References

Description

A very large snail, adults are usually around 7-8 cm (2. The word snail is a Common name that can be used for almost all members of the Molluscan class Gastropoda which have coiled shells in the A centimetre ( American spelling: centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one hundredth 7 inches) tall, and can reach 20 cm (7. 9 inches) in length or more. The shell has a rounded conical shape, being about twice as high as it is broad. A cone is a three-dimensional Geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat round base to a point called the apex or vertex Either clockwise (sinistral) or anti-clockwise (dextral) directions can be observed in the coiling of the shell, although a right-handed (dextral) cone is more common.

Colouration is highly variable, and dependent on diet. Generally the shell is banded (representative of variations in diet as the snail grows). Typically, the predominant colour is brown.

Habitat

The East African Land Snail is native to East Africa, especially Kenya and Tanzania, but also include most regions of the humid tropics, including many Pacific islands, southern and eastern Asia, and the Caribbean. The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south Tanzania ˌtænzəˈniːə officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya The Tropics are centered on the Equator and limited in Latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26' (23 They are a highly invasive species, and colonies can be formed from a single gravid individual. Introduced species|Weed Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions In Medicine, gravidity refers to the number of times a woman has been Pregnant. The species has established itself in Temperate Climates also, and in many places, release into the wild is illegal. The Giant East African Snail can now be found in agricultural areas, coastland, disturbed areas, natural forest, planted forests, riparian zones, scrub/shrublands, urban areas, and wetlands. "Riparian" redirects here For the legal doctrine see " Riparian water rights. They are active at night and spend the day buried underground. As an Animal behavior, nocturnality describes sleeping during the Daytime and being active at Night - the opposite of the diurnal

Nutrition

The Giant East African Snail is a macrophytophagous herbivore meaning it eats a wide range of plant material, fruit and vegetables. Herbivory is a form of Predation in which an Organism, known as a herbivore, consumes principally Autotrophs ref name=Campbell>Campbell Sometimes they eat sand, very small stones, bones from carcasses and even concrete as calcium sources for its shell. In rare instances they will consume each other.

In captivity, this species can also be fed on grain products such as brown bread, digestive biscuits and chicken feed. As with all molluscs, East African Land Snails enjoy the yeast in beer; it actually serves as a growth stimulus.

Reproduction

The Giant East African Snail is a simultaneous hermaphrodite, meaning each individual has both testes and ovaries. A hermaphrodite is an organism having both male and female reproductive organs The testicle (from Latin testiculus, diminutive of testis, meaning "witness" virility plural testes) is the male "Ovaria" redirects here This is also a proposed section and a Synonym of Solanum. This means it is capable of producing both sperm and ova. The term sperm is derived from the Greek word (σπέρμα sperma (meaning "seed" and refers to the male reproductive cells. An ovum (plural ova) is a Haploid Female reproductive cell or Gamete. Instances of self fertilisation are rare, and only occur in low populations. Although both snails in a mating pair can simultaneously transfer both gametes to each other (bilateral mating), this is dependent on the size difference between the partners. Snails of a similar size will reproduce in this way, however 2 of differing sizes will mate unilaterally (one way), with the larger individual acting as a female. This is due to the comparative resource investment associated with the different genders. Like other land snails, they have intriguing mating behavior, including petting their heads and front parts against each other. Courtship can last up to half an hour, and the actual transfer of gametes can last for 2 hours. A female can store sperm within her body for up to 2 years. The number of eggs per clutch averages around 200. A snail would lay 5-6 clutches per year with a hatching viability of about 90%.

Life cycle

Adult size is reached in about six months; after this period growth slows, but does not ever cease. The weight of the shell is directly proportional to the weight of the body, and in large individuals proves impervious to predators, except for carnivorous snails, who bore through the shell using their radulla, a tongue like organ. The life expectancy is around five or six years in captivity, but they may live up to ten years. The East African Land Snail is capable of aestivating for up to 3 years in times of extreme drought, sealing itself into its shell by secreting a calcerous compound that dries on contact with the air. Estivation or aestivation (from Latin aestas, summer also known as "summer sleep" is a state of Dormancy somewhat similar This is impermeable, meaning the snail will not lose any water during this period.

Population control

Suggested preventative measures must include strict quarantine measures to prevent introduction and further spread. For other uses see Quarantine (disambiguation Quarantine is voluntary or compulsory isolation typically to contain the spread of something Many methods have been tried to eradicate the Giant East African Snail. Generally, none of them have been effective except where implemented at the first sign of infestation. Methods include hand collecting, use of molluscicides, flame-throwers, and the failed attempts at biological control discussed below. In some regions, an effort has been made to promote use of the Giant East African Snail as a food resource, collecting the snails for food being seen as a method of controlling them. However, promoting a pest in this way is a controversial measure, as it may encourage the further deliberate spread of the snails.

One particularly catastrophic attempt to biologically control this species occurred on South Pacific Islands. Colonies of A. fulica were originally introduced as a food reserve for American GI's during the second world war, but naturally escaped. A carnivorous species from East Africa, a known predator of the East African Land Snail was introduced, but instead heavily predated the native Partula, causing the loss of some species.

Notes

References

• Mead, Albert R. 1961. The Giant African Snail: A Problem in Economic Malacology. Univ. Chicago Press, 257 pp. (also available online)
• Global Invasive Species Database
• Achatina fulica in Captivity

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