Posted on 09/15/2011 2:26:53 PM PDT by Red Badger
CORAL GABLES (CBS4) – They’re back. Giant African land snails which once took a decade to eradicate from South Florida have returned.
Giant African land snails, considered to be one of the most damaging snails in the world, have been found in the Coral Gables area of Miami-Dade County, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
The Giant African land snail is one of the most damaging snails in the world because they consume at least 500 different types of plants, can cause structural damage to plaster and stucco on houses, and can carry a parasitic worm that can lead to meningitis in humans. The snails transmit diseases to humans through consumption of raw or improperly cooked meat or by contact with human mucous membranes such as eyes, nose and mouth.
“Florida faces constant challenges from invasive pests and diseases that arrive through cargo, travelers’ luggage, air currents, and plant and animal agricultural products,” said Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. “Enlisting the help of the public in the early detection of these pests and diseases is critical to containing and ultimately eradicating them in our state.”
For the last several decades, there was no known giant African snail in Florida. However, the state is no stranger to this massive mollusk. In 1966, a Miami boy smuggled three snails into South Florida from a trip to Hawaii as pets and his grandmother subsequently released them into her garden. Seven years later, more than 18,000 snails were found. It took 10 years and more than $1 million to eradicate this pest from Florida. This is the only known successful giant African snail eradication program on record.
The Giant African snail is one of the largest land snails in the world growing up to 8 inches in length and 4.5 inches in diameter. When full grown, the shell consists of seven to nine whorls (spirals), with a long and greatly swollen body whorl. The brownish shell covers at least half the length of the snail. Each snail can live as long as nine years and contains both female and male reproductive organs. After a single mating session, each snail can produce 100 to 400 eggs. In a typical year, every mated adult lays about 1,200 eggs.
The snails are originally from East Africa and established itself throughout the Indo-Pacific Basin, including the Hawaiian Islands. This pest has also been introduced into the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe with recent detections in Saint Lucia and Barbados.
Giant African land snails are illegal to import into the United States without a permit and currently no permits have been issued.
Anyone who believes they may have seen a Giant African land snail or signs of its presence should call the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services toll-free at 888-397-1517 to make arrangements to have the snail collected.
To preserve the snail sample, wear gloves and put the snail in a zip lock bag, seal it and place it in a bucket or plastic container. Do not release it or give it away.
We're gonna need a bigger duck...
They should be given in-state tuition and free legal help. They are after all just eating the foliage that Americans are too lazy to eat.
Has anyone alerted AttackWatch yet?
********************************
LOL!
Sorry, Florida. :(
You wouldn’t actually think of letting your GSP into your flower beds, would you? I have 3 of them, I know the destruction they can cause!
“They should be given in-state tuition and free legal help. They are after all just eating the foliage that Americans are too lazy to eat.”
And when they become disabled because they become obese, Moochelle can come along and tell them, “Let’s Move!!!”
Of course they’ll be looking back at her and telling her, “we are already”
HA!
“Choot um Elizibet!!!”
LOL
Next season on the History Channel, “Snail People”.
You need a pair of ducks.
We’re gonna need a bigger duck...
***
“You cannot have ze duck!”
Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of funny comments on here, but it is actually serious.
Since it doesn't have any natural predators in that area, these things can spawn unbelievably fast.
Here's a picture of a tree while it's being hit by Giant African Snails:
As if the farmers in Florida didn't have enough to deal with.
Thing is, we're going to have to pay to clean this mess up. And it can cost PLENTY! Yay! More money to the USDA!
Probably some stupid African visa overstay brought it over to eat and it slimed away. Ain't diversity great?
ROFLOL In FL that’s about the way it would be with the senior citizen population they have.
Break out the Red Ryders.
Has the EPA got wind of these things? They’ll be put on the endangered list and everybody will have to move out of Florida to give them more space.
A mob of these beats attacked a sloth in our local zoo.
Police interviewed the sloth but he said he couldn't identify the attackers as it all happened so fast.
They look like land-based conchs. Break out the chowder bowls!
Will Joe’s Crab House on Byscayne turn into Joe’s Snail House?
The French chefs of S. Florida are absolutely swooning!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.