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Deadly giant snail found in Houston
NBC News ^ | 6 May 2013 | Andrew Rafferty

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 ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: houston; irrationalfear; napl; paranoia; snails; snailterror; texas
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To: Caribou

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.


81 posted on 05/07/2013 8:59:48 PM PDT by Grams A (The Sun will rise in the East in the morning and God is still on his throne.)
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To: biggerten

“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.


82 posted on 05/07/2013 9:03:08 PM PDT by Beowulf9
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To: Cyber Liberty

You got me.... I am seriously LOL.


83 posted on 05/07/2013 9:14:07 PM PDT by Gator113 ( ~just keep livin~ I drink good wine, listen to good music and dream good dreams.)
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To: Slings and Arrows

‘Snot-a-ping?


84 posted on 05/07/2013 9:31:00 PM PDT by To Hell With Poverty (Ephesians 6:12 becomes more real to me with each news cycle.)
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To: To Hell With Poverty; MeekOneGOP; Conspiracy Guy; DocRock; King Prout; Darksheare; OSHA; ...
So did they catch humblegunner or Eaker?


85 posted on 05/07/2013 9:41:04 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows (You can't have IngSoc without an Emmanuel Goldstein.)
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To: Slings and Arrows

No, they were too quick...


86 posted on 05/07/2013 9:47:50 PM PDT by null and void (Republicans create the tools of oppression and Democrats use them. Gun confiscation enables tyranny.)
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To: Slings and Arrows; Salamander
Headed to Sturgis.


87 posted on 05/07/2013 10:20:00 PM PDT by Daffynition (Stand Your Ground)
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To: Daffynition

LOL

Daffy does it again.

:)


88 posted on 05/07/2013 10:31:47 PM PDT by Salamander
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To: exDemMom

You can buy the frozen meat in a Chinese grocery store

The things get really big


89 posted on 05/07/2013 10:34:14 PM PDT by Fai Mao (Genius at Large)
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To: rfreedom4u

“Attack of the Killer Snails” just does not fly as a new horror scare movie.


90 posted on 05/07/2013 10:46:49 PM PDT by TruthWillWin (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples money.)
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To: Salamander
:-D


91 posted on 05/07/2013 11:41:20 PM PDT by Daffynition (Stand Your Ground)
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To: exDemMom

Unlike regular snails that are cooked whole, these are big enough to be butchered into prime cuts: filet d’escargot, gastropod chops, etc.


92 posted on 05/08/2013 12:01:15 AM PDT by ApplegateRanch (Love me, love my guns!©)
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To: ArrogantBustard
if it werent for the disease and parasites, I'd be all over that - clean em - sautee in garlic butter and fresh parsley or linguine - how is this any different from conch?

the little kid in me wants to toss salt on em

93 posted on 05/08/2013 3:17:16 AM PDT by Revelation 911 (hump scratching n'er do well.....all strung out on chicken wings and venison jerky)
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To: rfreedom4u

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.


94 posted on 05/08/2013 3:24:33 AM PDT by IamConservative (The soul of my lifes journey is Liberty!)
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To: ArrogantBustard
Wiki sez they’re edible.

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!

95 posted on 05/08/2013 3:34:35 AM PDT by exDemMom (Now that I've finally accepted that I'm living a bad hair life, I'm more at peace with the world.)
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To: Cyber Liberty
I don’t think I’ll be eating one of these things, though. The meningitis thing scares me.

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.

96 posted on 05/08/2013 3:41:12 AM PDT by exDemMom (Now that I've finally accepted that I'm living a bad hair life, I'm more at peace with the world.)
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To: Revelation 911
if it werent for the disease and parasites, I'd be all over that - clean em - sautee in garlic butter and fresh parsley or linguine - how is this any different from conch?

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.

97 posted on 05/08/2013 3:49:15 AM PDT by exDemMom (Now that I've finally accepted that I'm living a bad hair life, I'm more at peace with the world.)
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To: rfreedom4u
We should all carry salt to combat the snail problem!


98 posted on 05/08/2013 4:04:40 AM PDT by TangoLimaSierra (To the left the truth looks like Right-Wing extremism.)
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To: rfreedom4u

Bump


99 posted on 05/08/2013 5:12:46 AM PDT by lowbridge
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To: exDemMom
I hope it's cooked!

That would rather defeat the purpose of "sushi," Ma'am. :^)

100 posted on 05/08/2013 5:35:46 AM PDT by Cyber Liberty (I am a dissident. Will you join me? My name is John....)
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