Mollusk Archives - Ten Random Facts

Giant Ghana snails can be beaten in a race but no snail can beat it in size.

Giant Ghana snails are a species of snail, native to the forests of West Africa, in the countries of Ghana, Sierra Leone, Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Liberia, and Ivory Coast.
The scientific name of giant Ghana snail is Achatina achatina and it is from the family Achatinidae, a family of large to medium land snails.
‘Giant Ghana snails’ are also known as ‘giant tiger land snails’ and ‘tiger snails’, and should not be confused with the closely related ‘giant African snails’ with the scientific name Achatina fulica.
Giant Ghana snails can reach lengths of 18 to 30 centimetres (7 to 12 inches) making them the largest snails that exist on land, in the world.
Giant Ghana snails have been introduced to some areas of the United States where they are restricted, and some islands in the Caribbean, where they are considered a pest, while in some locations they are kept as pets.

Giant Ghana snails are hermaphrodites and can lay around 30 to 300 eggs at a single time, and they live to be around five to ten years of age.
Giant Ghana snails can be eaten, sold commercially in parts of Africa, and are a good source of protein.
The roughly coned shaped shell of a giant Ghana snail is often striped and chestnut to brown in colour, while the actual snail is a blue-grey.
Giant Ghana snails were originally very common in their native habitat, although their population has decreased in recent times as a result of over-consumption by humans, and habitat loss.
The diet of giant Ghana snails consists of decomposing vegetation and other plant life that can include vegetables, leaves, grass, flowers and fruit.

Amazon:

Slowly wins the race.

Land snails are terrestrial gastropod mollusks, commonly known as ‘snails’, and have shells that they live and hide in.
There are thousands of species of land snails, and together with water snails there are 43,000 different species, the second most numerous species on earth, with insects ranking first.
Land snails have a muscular foot that is moistened by mucus, that they use to glide along surfaces. The mucus helps to protect the snail’s body from being damaged or drying out on rough surfaces.
Land snails have both male and female organs and generally lay their eggs in soil, or in other hidden and protected spots.
Land snail babies hatch with shells attached, and they need access to calcium food sources during their life time to maintain their shell.

Many species of land snails hibernate in winter, and to keep themselves moist during the inactive period, they seal up their shell with dried mucus.
The largest land snail is the Giant African Snail that can grow up to 30 cm (12 in) in length.
Land snails can live from 2 to 15 years but some can live more than 25 years.
Land snails generally eat plant material, including fruit and vegetables, making them a common pest to gardeners, although some species also eat meat.
Land snails have been part of the human diet for thousands of years and are commonly eaten in some European and African countries, and are often considered a delicacy.

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