Giant African Land Snail

**FAKE NEWS**

The snail (Achatina fulica) originates in East Africa and only began to appear in the Western Cape about 15 years ago. This snail species has become a significant pest around the world. Internationally, it is the most frequently occurring invasive species of snail.

Outside of its native range, this snail thrives in many types of habitat in areas with mild climates. It feeds voraciously and is a vector for plant pathogens, causing severe damage to agricultural crops and native plants. It competes with native snail taxa, is a nuisance pest of urban areas, and spreads human disease. This snail is listed as one of the top 100 invasive species in the world.

An increase in physical size of the snail was first observed in the Southern Cape in 2017 and the mutation of growth genes was confirmed by zoologists from the University of Stellenbosch at the end of 2018. The team of scientists led by Dr Hans Gastrow established that the snail was increasing in body mass by 5 percent every three generations. In November 2019 it was announced that the gastropod’s feeding habits had changed from herbivorous to omnivorous. Dr Gastrow has warned that the mutant form of Achatina fulica poses a serious threat to plant and animal life in the coastal zone between Gansbaai and Die Dam, and its eradication should be seen as a matter of extreme urgency.