Photos Of The Giant Snail That's Menacing Florida
The giant African snail is one of the largest snails in the world.
Snails are typically only a few inches long, but this one can grow up to 8 inches long and 4 inches wide, or to about the size of a rat.
The Florida Department of Agriculture considers the giant snail to be one of the most damaging snails in the world for several reasons.
First, they eat at least 500 different types of plants, so their invasion has been devastating to the state's agriculture.
They've also been known to gnaw through materials like plaster and concrete.
Lastly, the snails can carry a parasite know has the rat lungworm, which gets left behind in a trail of slime as the snail moves.
The parasite can lead to meningitis in humans if someone who has handled a snail or come into contact with a fresh slime trail puts their hand near their mouth.
The snails are originally from east Africa, but have made their way to the states through travelers' luggage or agricultural products.
Some people have also tried to smuggle the creatures in as pets.
A population of the snails was identified by Miami-Dade officials in September 2011.
Since then, the population of snails has rapidly expanded.
More than 1,000 of the snails are collected in Miami-Dade County each week, a Florida official told told Reuters.
And the worst is yet to come. The start of Florida's rainy season during the next two months will bring the snails out from underground.
Each snail can lay anywhere from 100 to 400 eggs at a time.
And they can be found clinging to the surface of pretty much anything.
Really, anything.
Here's the life stages of the snail from egg to full-grown. If you see a snail, you're supposed to report it to Florida's Agriculture Department.
Miami has sea level rise to worry about, too.
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