Where are the snail’s eyes?

On the tips of the upper tentacles

Giant African land snail

lissachatina fulica

The giant African land snail (Lissachatina fulica, long known as Achatina fulica) is a large, air-breathing land snail from East Africa. Its narrow, cone-shaped shell is usually 5–10 cm long but can pass 20 cm. People have carried it across the tropics over the last 200 years, and it is now listed among 100 of the world’s worst invasive species because it eats hundreds of kinds of crop and garden plants and can carry the rat lungworm parasite.

Also known as Giant African snail, Kalutara snail, Lissachatina fulica

Giant African land snail abilities

>80% less bacterial film with slime extract (lab)
The snail glides on a ribbon of its own slime and leaves a shiny trail behind it. The slime also helps protect it from bacteria.
- Mucus lets the foot slide smoothly over soil, leaves, walls and rough ground.
- The slime contains achacin, an antibacterial protein that acts as one of the snail’s defences.
- In lab tests, parts of the slime slowed Staphylococcus bacteria and blocked more than 80% of the films they form. Scientists are still testing whether this could ever become a medicine.
- Look for shiny trails on paths and plants after rain or in the morning. Look, but don’t touch.
Sources [3, 7, 8]
7–9 shell whorls to tuck into
Giant African land snails come out at night or after rain. By day they climb into cool, damp hiding places and pull back into their shells.
- They are mostly active at night and hide in cool, damp spots during the day.
- They are good climbers. Vets note that pet snails easily push up box lids or climb onto their own shells.
- Pulling back into the spiral shell keeps the soft body safe and stops it drying out.
Sources [1, 3, 6, 9]
1 lung breathes air, not water
Look inside the shell to find a lung for breathing air, a mouth with a tooth-covered ribbon and, sometimes, a batch of eggs.
- The radula is a tongue-like ribbon with rows of tiny teeth. It scrapes food like a grater.
- The lung sits inside the shell next to the heart and kidney.
- Vets use X-rays, CT scans and ultrasound to check pet snails. They can see the lung, the gut and eggs ready to be laid, and ultrasound can even show the radula.
Sources [4, 6]
up to 500 eggs in its second year
Every giant African land snail is both male and female. Once mature, it can lay hundreds of pea-sized eggs a year in soil and leaf litter.
- Young adults make only sperm. Older adults make sperm and eggs, and partners prefer them.
- When two snails differ in size, the bigger one usually acts as the female.
- A snail can lay up to about 100 eggs in its first year and up to 500 in its second. Eggs hatch in 11–15 days, but only when it is warmer than 15 °C.
- Estimates of a lifetime total vary a lot: from about 1,000 to “many thousands” of eggs.
Eggs laid per year
Second yearup to 500
First yearup to 100
Typical maximums from a review of field and lab studies.
Sources [1, 3, 9, 11]
5–15 months to grow up
A hatchling starts with a tiny shell and keeps adding whorls. It can be ready to breed in a few months if the weather stays warm.
- Hatchlings need lots of calcium to build their shells until they are about 5 mm long.
- Snails can breed from about 4 months old and are usually adult at about 6 months.
- Cold weather sends them into a winter rest and can delay growing up to 15 months.
- Most live 3–6 years. A few reach 9 or 10.
Sources [1, 3, 9]
500+ kinds of plants eaten
This snail eats at least 500 different kinds of plants, which is why it is one of the most damaging snails in the world.
- As it grows, its menu widens to more kinds of plants.
- In a test with 10 foods, including lettuce, cabbage, spinach, apple, pear and banana, the snails picked lettuce most often.
- It is mainly vegetarian, but there is evidence that it sometimes eats other snails.
Sources [1, 10, 12]
30 °C hotter than this, it shuts down
When it gets too hot and dry, the snail seals its shell with a chalky door called an epiphragm and slows its body right down. This is called aestivation.
- It is active at about 9–29 °C. It rests through 30 °C heat by aestivating, and through 2 °C cold by hibernating in soft soil.
- The epiphragm is mucus hardened with calcite, the mineral in chalk. It forms quickly.
- Its energy use drops sharply. It also turns waste ammonia into urea, which it can store without losing water.
- When it wakes, its heart quickly makes extra protective enzymes.
Sources [1, 3, 13, 14, 15]
4 tentacles: 2 to see, 2 to smell
Two long eye stalks rise up to look around while two short feelers below sniff out food.
- The eyes sit at the tips of the upper tentacles.
- The lower tentacles carry the sense of smell, which is strong.
- Together, sight and smell help it find food and partners, and notice danger.
Sources [3]

Tap a pin on the model or a part below.

20 cm+ the biggest shells
- A narrow cone about twice as long as it is wide, with 7–9 whorls when fully grown.
- Most adult shells are 5–10 cm long, but some pass 20 cm.
- Usually reddish-brown with darker or yellowish streaks. The exact colours change with where the snail lives and what it eats.
Sources [1, 2]
2 eyes, one on each tip
- The upper, longer pair of tentacles carry an eye at each tip.
- Sight and smell work together to find food and partners, and to notice danger.
Sources [3]
- The shorter lower pair of tentacles hold the snail’s sense of smell.
- Its sense of smell is strong, and it uses it to track down food.
Sources [3]
- Inside the mouth is the radula, a tongue-like ribbon covered in rows of tiny teeth.
- It works like a grater, cutting and scraping plants, fungi and lichens.
- The shapes of the middle teeth help scientists tell different giant snail species apart under a microscope.
Sources [4, 5]
- The whole underside is one big muscular foot that glides along on a layer of slime.
- It is strong enough to push up the lid of a box. Vets who X-ray pet snails say they easily climb out, or even onto their own shell.
Sources [3, 6]
1 lung for breathing air
- Giant African land snails breathe air with a lung inside the shell, not with gills.
- On X-rays and CT scans, vets can see the lung next to the heart, kidney and gut.
Sources [6]
>80% less biofilm in a lab test
- The skin makes mucus (slime) that helps the snail move smoothly.
- The slime contains achacin, a protein that helps defend the snail against bacteria.
- In lab tests, parts of the slime slowed the growth of Staphylococcus bacteria and cut the slimy films they form by more than 80%.
Sources [3, 7, 8]
2 years sperm can be stored
- After mating, a snail can store its partner’s sperm for up to 2 years.
- It lays its eggs 8–20 days after mating.
- Each egg is 4.5–5.5 mm across, about the size of a pea.
Sources [1, 3, 9]
- Many have greyish-brown skin, like the snails once found in South Florida.
- Some have milky-white skin. These are sometimes called “albino” snails and are wanted in the illegal pet trade.
- Snails found in Pasco County, Florida, in 2022 had light to dark brown shells with milky-white bodies.
Sources [10]

Real giant African land snails

Photos from Wikimedia Commons. Some of them can repaint the 3D model.

AdultA long, narrow cone of a shell with 7–9 whorls, reddish-brown with darker streaks, on a greyish-brown body.Usually 5–10 cm long and about 32 g · some pass 20 cmOn the forest floor in Madagascar, where it was brought by people. Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0
AdultA long, narrow cone of a shell with 7–9 whorls, reddish-brown with darker streaks, on a greyish-brown body.Usually 5–10 cm long and about 32 g · some pass 20 cmGliding over moss in the Seychelles. Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
Adult with eggsAn adult beside a clutch of round, cream-white eggs, each about the size of a pea, in soil or leaf litter.Up to about 500 eggs a year · hatch in 11–15 days when warmA clutch of pea-sized eggs in the soil. Photo: Tonton Bernardo, CC BY-SA 3.0
AdultA long, narrow cone of a shell with 7–9 whorls, reddish-brown with darker streaks, on a greyish-brown body.Usually 5–10 cm long and about 32 g · some pass 20 cmSnacking on a fallen Surinam cherry in Hawaii. Photo: Scot Nelson, CC0
AdultA long, narrow cone of a shell with 7–9 whorls, reddish-brown with darker streaks, on a greyish-brown body.Usually 5–10 cm long and about 32 g · some pass 20 cmA good climber: crossing a garden gate. Photo: Scot Nelson, CC0
AdultA long, narrow cone of a shell with 7–9 whorls, reddish-brown with darker streaks, on a greyish-brown body.Usually 5–10 cm long and about 32 g · some pass 20 cmA pet snail heading for a cucumber slice. Photo: PaleoGeekSquared, CC BY-SA 4.0
AdultA long, narrow cone of a shell with 7–9 whorls, reddish-brown with darker streaks, on a greyish-brown body.Usually 5–10 cm long and about 32 g · some pass 20 cmIn Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar. Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0
Shell colours vary: this one is pale and streakyPhoto: 7hari, CC BY-SA 4.0
Captive snails with their greens at a reptile park in FrancePhoto: Tylwyth Eldar, CC BY-SA 4.0

Giant African land snail by the numbers

Measured by scientists in the wild and in labs.

Shell length: 5–10 cm; a typical adult; the biggest pass 20 cm⁠[1, 2]
Weight: ≈32 g; average adult mass in one account⁠[3]
Shell whorls: 7–9; turns of the spiral when fully grown⁠[1]
Lifespan: 3–6 years; typical; a few live 9–10 years⁠[1, 3]
Grown up at: 5–15 months; sooner when warm; can breed from about 4 months⁠[1, 9]
Eggs a year: up to 500; in its second year; up to about 100 in the first; Second year500 eggsFirst year100 eggs; 5 times more eggs in year two than in year one⁠[1]
Hatching time: 11–15 days; eggs only hatch above 15 °C⁠[3, 1]
Food plants: 500+; different kinds of plants eaten⁠[10]
Active between: 9–29 °C; hibernates near 2 °C, aestivates at 30 °C⁠[1, 3]
Mating time: 4.6 hours; average in the wild (1.5–7.5 hours), always at night⁠[17]

Giant African land snail myths and facts

Guess first, then flip each card to see what the evidence says.

0 of 8 answered

“The giant African land snail is the biggest snail in the world.”
“One snail on its own can start a whole new population.”
“Every giant African land snail is both male and female.”
“It only eats a few kinds of plants.”
“You catch rat lungworm just by touching a snail.”
“A snail can sleep through a dry season, sealed inside its shell.”
“Releasing rosy wolf snails is a safe way to get rid of giant African snails.”
“You can keep one as a pet anywhere.”

Giant African land snail records

Big shells, big appetites, and records nobody wants.

One of the world’s worst invaders
1 of 100
Giant African land snail
Picked for the IUCN invasive species experts’ list of 100 of the world’s worst invasive alien species (2000).⁠[21]
Biggest land snails
20 cm+
The giant African land snail family (Achatinidae)
Achatinid snails are the largest snails living on land; this species can pass 20 cm.⁠[6, 1]
Four of the worst 100 in one food web
4
Giant African snail, rosy wolf snail, New Guinea flatworm, ship rat
The snail and three species linked to it in the food web, the rosy wolf snail, the New Guinea flatworm and the ship rat, are all on the same list of 100 worst invaders.⁠[21]
Most-eaten menu
500+ plants
Giant African land snail
Called one of the most damaging snails in the world by Florida’s agriculture department.⁠[10]
Wiped out in Florida three times
3 times
Florida, USA
Eradicated in 1975, 2021 and 2026, after detections in 1969, 2011 and 2022.⁠[10]

Life of a giant African land snail

From a pea-sized egg to a full-grown snail in under a year, if it stays warm.

Day 0
Eggs laid
8–20 days after mating, a parent lays pea-sized eggs in soil or among leaves.⁠[3, 9]
Days 11–15
Hatching
Tiny snails hatch, but only if it is warmer than 15 °C.⁠[3, 1]
First weeks
Calcium hunt
Hatchlings need lots of calcium to build their shells until they reach about 5 mm.⁠[1]
4–6 months
Young adult
Ready to breed. At first it makes only sperm.⁠[9, 3, 11]
Year 1
First eggs
Up to about 100 eggs.⁠[1]
Year 2
Peak eggs
Up to about 500 eggs, then fewer each year after.⁠[1]
Dry seasons
Sealed in
In heat and drought it seals its shell and aestivates until rain returns.⁠[1, 13]
3–6 years
Old age
Most live 3–6 years. A few reach 9 or 10.⁠[1, 3]

Giant African land snails: invasions and safety

Giant African land snails are slow and harmless to look at, but they spread fast and can carry a parasite. Here is how to stay safe and help stop them.

500+
kinds of plants eaten
Crops and garden plants are at risk wherever the snail spreads.⁠[10]
200 years
of spreading with people
People carried it from East Africa across the tropics. One genetic type is now found all over the tropics.⁠[23]
3 times
eradicated in Florida
Teams found and removed every snail over years of searching. Parts of Broward and Pasco counties are still under quarantine.⁠[10]
Gloves
never bare hands
Florida’s experts say: don’t handle these snails without gloves. Wash your hands with soap and water afterwards.⁠[10, 20]
Wash
raw fruit and vegetables
The rat lungworm parasite passes between rats and snails or slugs. People can catch it by eating raw or undercooked snails or slugs, or raw produce with a tiny snail on it. Most people who get it recover on their own, but anyone who is worried should see a doctor.⁠[24, 19, 20]
Report
don’t move them
In places where it is not native, take a photo and tell an adult, who can report it to the local agriculture department. Never move, keep or release one.⁠[9, 10]

General information, not medical advice. If someone may have swallowed a raw snail or slug, tell an adult and see a doctor.

Giant African land snail vs garden snail vs giant West African snail

How the giant African land snail measures up against a familiar garden snail and its biggest cousin.

Giant African land snail (Lissachatina fulica) vs brown garden snail (Cornu aspersum) vs giant West African snail (Achatina achatina)
	Giant African land snail	Brown garden snail	Giant West African snail
Scientific name⁠[25, 2, 18]	Lissachatina fulica (formerly Achatina fulica)	Cornu aspersum	Achatina achatina
Shell size⁠[1, 2, 18]	Usually 5–10 cm long; can pass 20 cm	About 2.5–4 cm wide and 2.5–3.5 cm high	Up to 20 cm high and 10 cm wide
Shell shape⁠[1, 2, 18]	Narrow cone, twice as long as wide	Rounded, with a net-like brown pattern	Large cone
Native home⁠[3, 2, 18]	East Africa	Not native to Florida (introduced)	Coastal West Africa, from Sierra Leone to Nigeria
Pest status⁠[21, 2, 18]	One of 100 of the world’s worst invasive species	Listed as an exotic (non-native) snail in Florida	Crop pest in West Africa; stopped at US airports

Sizes come from different sources and measure slightly different things (length, width, height).

Is the giant African land snail endangered?

No. The problem is the opposite: this snail is spreading into places where it does harm.

IUCN Red List

Not Evaluated (NE)

Trend unknown

It has no Red List assessment. Outside Africa it is an invasive pest that keeps reaching new places, such as the Caribbean islands from the late 1980s. But invasive populations often crash again after 20–60 years.⁠[26, 27, 1]

Not evaluated by the IUCN Red List (checked 2026-10-16).

Threats

Cold weather
It needs temperatures well above freezing all year. It can only rest through cold down to about 2 °C.⁠[1]
Predators
In its native Africa, predators are a main cause of death. In many new homes it has almost none.⁠[3]
Eradication teams
Florida has wiped out its snail populations three times with searches, treatments and quarantines.⁠[10]

What’s helping

Laws and quarantines
It is illegal to import or keep in the United States without a permit, and quarantine zones stop snails being moved.⁠[10]
People reporting snails
A photo sent to experts lets them check a sighting before the snails spread.⁠[9]
Learning from mistakes
Releasing the predatory rosy wolf snail to control it wiped out many native island snails. Scientists now warn against that kind of quick fix.⁠[21, 22, 1]

Snails hurt by the fight against it

Partula tree snails (Society Islands)Varies by species
11 of 18 species on Moorea and Tahiti were wiped out in the wild by rosy wolf snails that had been released to eat giant African snails. Some survive in zoos and a few wild pockets.⁠[22, 21]

Giant African land snail quiz

12 questions. Every answer is somewhere on this page.

Question 1 of 12Score 0

How long is a typical adult giant African land snail shell?

Giant African land snail field notes

Diet, food web, safety and badges from the Snappit field guide.

Diet & Feeding

Highly polyphagous, they consume over 500 different types of plant species, as well as decaying organic matter and essential calcium sources.

Primary Foods

Fruits and vegetables
Broad leaves
Decaying plant matter
Stucco or bones (for calcium)
Bark and flowers
Foraging Method: Foraging

Age differences: Juveniles typically consume softer, decaying vegetation and require immense amounts of calcium to build their rapidly growing shells, while adults tackle tougher, living plants.

Ecological connections

New Guinea FlatwormPredator
Introduced as a biological control to hunt the snail, this flatworm aggressively preys on the African Giant Snail.
Papaya TreeHost plant
The snail voraciously consumes the leaves and fruits of the papaya tree, causing significant agricultural damage.
Rat LungwormParasite
The snail acts as an intermediate host for this parasitic nematode, which can cause meningitis in humans who mishandle or undercook them.

Safety

Danger 1/5 · Very low

No special safety notes yet.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Achatinidae
Genus: Lissachatina

Also known as

Giant African snail · Kalutara snail · Lissachatina fulica · GALS

Sources for these giant African land snail facts

29 studies and references · checked Oct 16, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

How to identify Giant African land snail?

Compare body symmetry, shells, segments, legs, tentacles and how the animal moves. Invertebrates span many unrelated groups, so start with body structure. Invertebrate Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

How long is Giant African land snail?

7-20 cm

How much does Giant African land snail weigh?

0.05-0.5 kg

How long does Giant African land snail live?

3-5 years

What does Giant African land snail eat?

Highly polyphagous, they consume over 500 different types of plant species, as well as decaying organic matter and essential calcium sources.

Where is Giant African land snail usually found?

Found in warm, humid tropical environments, often hiding beneath damp leaf litter or dense undergrowth.

How many eggs does Giant African land snail lay?

100-500

Is it illegal to own a giant African land snail?

In the United States, yes: it is illegal to import or keep one without a permit, because the snail is such a serious pest. In parts of Europe they are popular pets and are even kept in nursery schools. In one study, 7-year-olds who looked after a classroom snail for seven months formed caring bonds with it. Rules differ from country to country, so check yours, and never release a snail outdoors.

Is it safe to touch a giant African land snail?

Don’t touch one with bare hands. Florida’s experts say to wear gloves and to wash your hands afterwards. The snail can carry rat lungworm, but people usually catch that by eating raw or undercooked snails or slugs, or unwashed raw vegetables with a tiny snail on them.

How big do giant African land snails get?

Most adult shells are 5–10 cm long, and the biggest pass 20 cm. One account gives an average weight of about 32 g. The shell is a narrow cone with 7–9 whorls.

How long do giant African land snails live?

Usually 3–6 years. A few live to 9 or 10.

How many eggs does a giant African land snail lay?

Up to about 100 in its first year and up to 500 in its second, in batches hidden in soil or leaf litter. Each egg is about 5 mm, the size of a pea, and hatches in 11–15 days when it is warmer than 15 °C. Estimates of a lifetime total range from about 1,000 to many thousands.

What do giant African land snails eat?

At least 500 kinds of plants, including crops, garden plants and fallen fruit. In one test with 10 foods, they picked lettuce most often. Hatchlings also need plenty of calcium to build their shells, and adults sometimes eat other snails.

Why are giant African land snails a problem?

They eat hundreds of kinds of plants, breed fast and are easily moved by people, so they spread quickly. They can also carry rat lungworm. That is why experts list the snail among 100 of the world’s worst invasive species.

Is it Achatina fulica or Lissachatina fulica?

Both names refer to the same snail. Scientists moved it from the genus Achatina to Lissachatina, but you will still often see the older name, Achatina fulica.