Akhatina: for what this snail is hated in tropical countries and adored in Europe

If in our latitudes snails live that fit on one finger of a hand, then in the tropics everything is different. Here, in a hot and humid climate, these mollusks reach a truly gigantic size, and the largest individuals can hardly be held on hands. We offer to get acquainted with the giant Achatina - the largest snail on our planet.

Achatina giant (lat.Achatina fulica) belongs to the order of pulmonary snails of the class of gastropod mollusks. The shell sizes of adults usually reach 10-15 centimeters in length, but sometimes Achatina, whose shell reaches 20 centimeters, can come across, and under favorable conditions they can grow up to 35-40 centimeters. These snails actively grow the first 2 years, and then their growth slows down, but continues to increase until the end of life. Therefore, the older Achatina, the more impressive size it reaches. The life span of these snails in nature reaches 5-10 years, and in captivity they can live longer.

The giant homeland of Achatina is the coast of East Africa, where it inhabits tropical rainforests. Due to the fact that this snail is perfectly adapted to life, it was able to get accustomed far beyond its historical range. In the XIX century, a huge clam already lived in several regions of Southeast Asia, and today it can be found even in the Caribbean region.

Giant Achatina is a land snail that feeds on various plants. But to build up her luxurious shell, she needs a significant amount of calcium, so Achatina eats eggshells, old shells of dead mollusks or just calcareous rocks. Achatina are hermaphrodites, that is, each individual has male and female reproductive cells, so Achatina can reproduce both independently and with the help of a partner.

In nature, giant Achatina lives in moist forests and near water bodies. But, being a herbivorous mollusk, Achatina increasingly settles on agricultural fields and becomes the main enemy of farmers. Sugarcane crops, which is one of the main agricultural crops in tropical Asia, are especially affected by it. For this reason, a cute snail was recorded as one of the worst pests, and also declared it a dangerous invasive species. Invasive species are recognized that penetrate beyond their habitat and are capable of causing significant harm to natural ecosystems. In places of active distribution with Achatina, a real fight is being waged, and in the United States the authorities barely managed to stop its advance.

Despite the fact that the inhabitants of the tropics do not really like the giant Achatina, she found her fans in countries with a temperate climate. In Europe, the largest snails in the world have become popular pets sold at pet stores. They are unpretentious to the conditions of detention and breed well in captivity, and their size invariably delight everyone who sees them for the first time. Today, giant Achatina can also be found in Russia, where due to harsh climatic conditions they are not able to live in nature, but can only become pets.