Attack of the Giant African Land Snail

New pest in the neighborhood:

A dangerous snail of gigantic proportions is gradually invading Miami Dade County, threatening to consume plants and plaster and infect humans along its way.

The creature, known as the Giant African Land Snail (GALS!), is "one of the most damaging snails in the world," the [Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services] says. The slow-moving sloth not only can consume at least 500 different types of plants, but "can cause structural damage to plaster and stucco and can carry a parasitic nematode that can lead to meningitis in humans.”

Wait a minute: this snail eats stucco? It can eat my house?

I mean, it’s a snail, right — just how fast does it eat a house? It and its 1200 descendants…

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4 Responses to Attack of the Giant African Land Snail

  1. S.E. says:

    And the “For Sale By Owner” sign is now in my front yard. Baby-eating snakes I can handle. House eating snails not so much.

  2. Just me says:

    Is the person holding that snail one of the Simpsons? It looks like he only has 4 really fat fingers and that the glove he is wearing is designed for just such a hand. Or did this killer snail eat his missing digit?

  3. John Flood says:

    Michael, these snails are Nigerian in origin and in the area where I live in London, Hackney, which you know, these are sold in quite a few shops. They are edible. They have a foe–Man.

    The trick to preparing them is to use alum to clean them. Here’s a nice little video on the Guardian website that shows them being purchased and cooked. Snails for the pot.

    The Florida Dept of Agriculture needs to start developing a recipe bank. The guy in the video thought they tasted great!

  4. dr. shaw says:

    where can i get one of thees snails i heard they are good pets

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