Giant African Snail

Scientific name: Achatina fulica

Common names: Giant African snail, giant African land snail

Native To: Africa

Date of U.S. Introduction: 1966 (first established population)

Images: Invasive.org and Google

Video: Giant African Snails Invade Kochi (or click Play button below)

Means of Introduction: Imported as pets and for educational purposes; may also arrive accidentally in cargo

Impact: Damages native plants and crops

Current U.S. Distribution:

• National Agricultural Pest Information System - Pest Tracker - Reported Status
• HI (currently, there are no established populations within the continental U.S., but they may still be found in pet stores and classrooms)

Management Plans: Animals

Selected Internet Resources:

• Federal Government
• State Government
• University/Academic
• International
• Organizations

Achatina fulica (Ferussac, 1821)
Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
Taxonomy

Giant African Snail
USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Controls

Achatina fulica Article Citation Search - AGRICOLA Database
USDA. National Agricultural Library.
Research; Special Note: NAL Catalog Search (resources)

State Government

Giant African Land Snails Fact Sheet (PDF | 26 KB)
Michigan Department of Agriculture.
Identification/Description; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution; Controls

Pests of Plants and Plant Products: Giant African snail
Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry. Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service.
Photographs; Impacts; Distribution

Giant African Snail
Biosecurity New Zealand.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Life Cycle; Distribution

Achatina fulica (mollusc) - ISSG Global Invasive Species Database
World Conservation Union. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Controls

The Spread of the Snail Achatina fulica to South China (Nov 1931; PDF | 785 KB)
University of Hong Kong. Hong Kong Journals Online.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle

Exotic plant pests: Giant African snail
Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (Australia). Office of Biosecurity.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Habitat; Controls; Special Note: Identification guide

Introduction of Giant African Snail to Various Pacific Islands - Ag Alert No. 15 (Sep 1996; PDF | 78 KB)
Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Plant Protection Service.
Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Distribution; Controls

Giant African Snail - Pest Advisory Leaflet No. 6 (PDF | 77 KB)
Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Plant Protection Service.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Controls

The Giant African Snail (PDF | 280 KB)
Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Ministry of Agriculture, Land, and Marine Resources.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts; Distribution; Dispersion; Controls

The Giant African Snail: A Problem in Economic Malacology (1961)
Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk.
Special Note: Complete text of the book by Albert R. Mead

Achatina fulica
Invasive.org.
Photographs

Giant African Snails are Invader of the Month
Maryland Invasive Species Council.
Photographs; Impacts; Controls

Giant African Land Snail
Massachusetts Introduced Pests Outreach Project.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts

Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica Bowdich
North American Plant Protection Organization. Phytosanitary Alert System.
Photographs; Impacts; Distribution