Giant African Land Snail

Looks how to spot one

Coiled conical shell with soft muscular body

A tall, narrow cone-shaped shell roughly twice as long as it is wide, with 7 to 9 whorls when fully grown. Young snails show wavy cream and brown bands, while the newer whorls of adults turn smooth, glossy and mostly brown. The soft body is usually brownish grey.12

Personality what they are like

Gentle and unhurried. It is mostly active in the evening and at night and will happily glide over hands and decor when handled calmly.23

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Low. It needs floor and climbing space to roam and graze, and stays active at temperatures between about 9 and 29 C.1

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Keep the substrate moist but never soggy and clean the tank with hot water and a cloth only, no detergents. Swap no more than a quarter of the substrate at a time. Always provide cuttlefish bone so the snail can build a strong shell. Wash hands after handling snails or cleaning the tank. Check the substrate for egg clutches if you keep more than one; the Amateur Entomologists' Society advises freezing unwanted eggs for 48 hours before disposal.3

Home where they are happiest

A glass or plastic tank sized to the number of snails, with several centimetres of peat-free compost, a piece of bark, leaf litter and moss. Keep it at a steady 20-25 C (a heat mat with a thermostat helps) and around 70-80% humidity, checked with a hygrometer.3

Food basics what goes in the bowl

A plant-based diet of fresh greens, vegetables and fruit such as dandelion, kale, broccoli, peppers, beans, squash, cucumber, banana and strawberries, plus a commercial snail protein mix (up to about 40% of the diet) and cuttlefish bone for calcium. Young snails prefer softer foods.312

Company who they like around

Content alone or with others. Every snail is both male and female, so any two adults can produce eggs, often in clutches of around 200.21

The story where it all began

The species was named by Férussac in 1821 and spent most of its history in the genus Achatina before being moved to Lissachatina. Its home is East Africa, but people have carried it across the tropics for a long time: it reached Réunion by 1821, India by 1847, Malaysia by 1911, China by 1931, Hawaii by 1936 and Brazil by 1988. In parts of Asia it is also eaten, for example as fried snail in Taiwan. In recent decades it has become a popular pet and teaching animal in several countries, though some, including the United States, do not allow it to be kept.21

Recognised by the official bits

Taxonomy

First described by Férussac in 1821 as Helix fulica; long known as Achatina fulica and now placed in the genus Lissachatina2

Legal status (USA)

Federally prohibited in the United States, where selling or keeping it is illegal; check local rules before keeping one2