The Giant African Land Snail is one of the largest snails in existence. These snails have light brown to dark brown shells that consists of dark brown vertical stripes. This species of snails can grow to become 3 to 8 inches long, and usually live for about 5 to 7 years. The Giant African Land Snail is also known to be one of the most damaging species for crops and agriculture, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, because this species is known to eat more than 500 different species of plants.
The Giant African Land Snail is a hermaphrodite- an organism that possesses both male and female reproductive organs. A mating couple is still necessary for successful breeding; however, this species of snails can take on either role during reproduction, or even fertilized both snails. The Achatina Fulica do not have a set breeding period; therefore, they produce over 1,200 eggs per year, all having a 90% successful hatching probability. |