Posted on 05/07/2013 7:33:39 PM PDT by rfreedom4u
Residents of a Houston neighborhood are being warned to stay away from giant African land snails after a woman found one in her garden and snapped a photo of it.
The snails, researchers warn, are potentially dangerous to touch, in part because they can carry meningitis. Scientists have warned anyone who comes in contact with them to wash their hands thoroughly.
"They also carry a parasitic disease that can cause a lot of harm to humans and sometimes even death," Autumn Smith-Herron, director of the Institute for the Study of Invasive Species at Sam Houston State University, told NBC Houston affiliate KPRC.
A woman gardening in the Briar Forest neighborhood of Houston found the snail and notified workers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center who deal with invasive plants. It is the first reported sighting of the mollusk in Texas, and no one seems to know how it got there.
The giant snails can lay 100 eggs per month, and though only one has been found, it is believed more are in the area.
Jack Fendrick, who lives near where the slimy giant was discovered, said he will do his part to warn of the potentially deadly snails.
"I think most kids especially would look at a big snail and want to touch it," he said. "That's scary."
(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.nbcnews.com ...
No, but it may have been something that fell out of her hair. One can only imagine what forces of evil are present among her braids.
My 12 year old grandson goes to school in Houston and has to be periodically reminded that some topics are better off being discussed only in the boy’s bathroom, which he and his friends refer to as “broadcasting from the BM Bowl”. I was bringing him and a school friend home from school last week and he asked me if I knew who Sheila Jackson Lee was. I responded yes and asked why, he said they had discussed local politicians in one of their class that day and some of the kids were talking about her braids, wondering how long it had been since she had washed them and exactly how they were attached. Then they exploded into laughter - must have been a boy type joke they had shared in school which I told them they really didn’t need to share with me.
“Harryhausen did a giant snail-”
http://wtf-film.com/site/tag/ray-harryhausen/
Didn’t know that, but that site rocks. Loved the one with the giant honeycomb.
You got me.... I am seriously LOL.
‘Snot-a-ping?
No, they were too quick...
LOL
Daffy does it again.
:)
You can buy the frozen meat in a Chinese grocery store
The things get really big
“Attack of the Killer Snails” just does not fly as a new horror scare movie.
Unlike regular snails that are cooked whole, these are big enough to be butchered into prime cuts: filet d’escargot, gastropod chops, etc.
the little kid in me wants to toss salt on em
These things have shown up in Florida as well. How they made it across Louisiana without becoming etouffee’ for a Cajun is anyone’s guess.
I sez: “You first”.
Indeed. I've been looking for recipes. I now know how to kill, clean, and cook them.
As for the parasite, the hours of boiling will kill it. I would handle the raw snail with gloves, though.
If those snails make it up to Maryland, I'm ready!
I would handle the raw ones with gloves. It is common for meats to carry various pathogens and parasites--hence, the recommendation to cook meat thoroughly and not place cooked meat on surfaces where the raw meat was.
Pardon me...gotta go! Mrs. Liberty made some nice chicken sushi for din din.
I hope it's cooked! I never ate sushi... the whole raw fish thing is too gross.
As long as it's cooked thoroughly, the parasites should not be a problem. According to the few recipes I found on Google, it needs to be boiled for a while.
Bump
That would rather defeat the purpose of "sushi," Ma'am. :^)
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