Photos Of The Giant Snail That's Menacing Florida

An invasive species called the giant African land snail has been steadily taking over South Florida's Miami-Dade County ever since one was spotted by a resident in September 2011.

The start of Florida's rainy season in a few weeks means that more will soon be coming out.

The snail can grow to be the size of the rat, and is particularly annoying because it eats all kinds of plants, as well as building materials like plaster and stucco. It can also carry a parasite that leads to meningitis in humans.

The state battled a similar invasion in the 1960s, but the species was thought to have been eliminated.