It had been raining for the entire week. One fine morning when the sky looked clear, I stepped out for a morning stroll. The pathways, trees, gardens and grass were all still damp from the previous day’s downpour, but there was a refreshing feeling to it.

Leisurely strolling, I came across this giant snail sluggishly moving away from the path. I’m not too fond of the crawly beings, but it is always interesting to observe the surrounding and learn new things. Like this large snail here, I read up a bit about it and thought of sharing it here, in case you too are interested. Now, you can always talk to experts or look up for relevant books, if you wish to learn about it, in detail.

Achatina Fulica or the Giant African Land Snail – as it is rightly called, is a pretty huge one. Its shell can grow upto 20 cm. This is an invasive species and considered to be the worst pest as they eat up pretty much every plant. Especially in plantations and on agricultural lands their invasion is known to cause concern. Native to Africa, these snails hitchhiked through trade routes making it to several foreign lands.

The shells of these snails is made of calcium and so to in order to nourish its growth, the giant African snails are even known to munch on concrete and limestone walls, for any available calcium. These are also know to be parasite carriers – especially in its slime – that can be harmful for plants, pets and even humans. During monsoon and post monsoons is when these are spotted mostly – which can be a concern, depending on where they have been sighted.