Archachatina marginata

Head view of a West African Giant Snail found in Cameroon

This species occurs in Western Africa (Cameroon to the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and the Caribbean (Martinique).[1] How the species reached Martinique is unknown, but they may have been intentionally introduced as "pets" or by workers returning from West Africa.[2]

The natural spread of this species is very slow; however, unintentional spread by individuals for food and as folk medicine is very common.[3] The USDA routinely checks for the species in the luggage of travelers from West Africa, Nigeria particularly, Ghana, and Cameroon.

This species has not yet become established in the United States, but it is considered to represent a potentially serious threat as a pest, an invasive species that could negatively affect agriculture, natural ecosystems, human health, or commerce. Therefore, this species may be given top national quarantine significance in the United States.[4]

Archachatina marginata var. ovum (Pfeiffer, 1858)

Full view of a West African Giant Snail found in Cameroon

The snail has a bulbous, large, and broad protoconch, with a white or bluish-white columella, parietal wall, and outer lip. The shell of the snail can grow up to 21 cm in height, and 13 cm in diameter. The shell, when magnified, has the appearance of a woven texture.[5]

Invasive species

The snail feeds on a large variety of plants, mainly fruits. Plants included in the snail's diet are bananas, lettuce, peanuts, and peas, some of which are important crops in certain economies.[6] However, a potential problem with the spread of the snail as an invasive species directly from the wild is that it is often a carrier of the parasitic rat lungworm, which causes angiostrongyliasis, which in turn is the most common cause of the eosinophilic meningitis or eosinophilic meningoencephalitis, which is the public health issue that makes the snails' spread to North America problematic (citation needed for accuracy). If the snail continues to spread, it could potentially be a problem for the health of people through parts of North America from Cuba to the United States.[7][8] Spreading into North America is limited to southern United States and similar southern places. Having this, and other achatina species as pets in North America is highly contested due to invasive spread of similar species into the United States. Subsequently, even Canada has restrictions on import and keep of this species, even though there is no threat of invasive spread due to a climate that would be lethal for escaped individuals.

Archachatina marginata var. suturalis (Philippi, 1849)

Achatinids are nocturnal forest dwellers, but can adapt to disturbed habitats. They prefer concealed habitats, and if overcrowding occurs, they may colonize more open habitats. During periods of high humidity, achatinids are more active, but individuals being found during broad daylight are most likely due to high population density.

Giant African land snail after laying an egg in Cameroon

Eggs of achatinids are normally laid in the soil, but can be found under leaves or rocks. They produce as many as 40 eggs, which are yellow in color with dark blotches, and their incubation period is about 40 days.

Snails eat during the day, but they prefer to eat at night. Wild snails are known to eat up to 500 different species of plants. Snails that have become domesticated typically consume food that is high in protein and low in fats. Studies of domesticated snails have shown that poultry droppings have been the most effective meal to both grow and gain weight.[9] Captive individuals are easily fed with a variety of fruit and vegetables including tomato, lettuce, carrot, cucumber, beans, squash, banana and more. Captive individuals should also be supplemented with a source of calcium and other vitamins (such as is found in reptile turtle pellets, etc.).

In this organism's nervous system, the two main types of nerves are pallial and visceral. Pallial nerves are the subject of the majority of scientific research. Visceral nerves are split into the main visceral nerve and the rectal visceral nerve. The main visceral nerve is on the snail's back and connects to a large group of nerve cells to transmit information in the body. The rectal visceral nerve starts further down under the main visceral and extends a short length before branching off near the rectum.[10]

Heat can stimulate reactions in the West African snail as a result of the snail's nervous system. The nerves produce warm responsive fibers when the temperature exceeds 25°C and produce cold responsive fibers when the temperature falls below 19°C. The ideal temperature range for this species falls between 13 and 32°C, the thermopreferendum of the species.[11]

• A. m. var. ovum
• A. m. var. suturalis
• A. m. var. egregia
• A. m. var. eduardi
• A. m. var. candefacta
• A. m. var. grevillei
• A. m. var. icterica