Common name: Giant African Snail
Description: Compared to other snails, the A. fulica is bigger, can be up to eight inches tall and like any other organism in the mollusca phylum possess a shell. The shell is shaped in the form of a cone and has up to nine swirls of color adorning it. The color of the shell ranges from dark brown and reddish brown. Additionally, the shell can be decorated with streaks and marking that can be dark or light in color. Although the color of the shell mainly depends on the environment it finds itself in.
Location: Native to Africa around the coasts areas and Eastern islands of Africa. A. fulica can also be found in areas such as Mozambique, Kenya, Somalia and have also been brought to other countries besides Africa.
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fulica is the prey of rodents, wild boars, terrestrial crustaceans and other snail species. Other predators include: G. natalis, S. geminata and R. exulans which are the Christmas island red crab, fire ants and the Polynesian rat. Due to these different predators the A. fulica has developed different methods of protecting itself such as camouflage and its shell. The A. fulica themselves are herbivores and eat mostly vascular plant matter which can either be living or dead. Food preferences depends on the age of the A. fulica. Some preferred foods that A. fulica eat are bananas, Marigolds, pumpkin and many other kinds of vegetation.
Human Impact: The A. fulica impacts humans by being able to transmit diseases to animals and humans since it can be a host to the parasite A. cantonensis.
Economic Value: A. fulica is considered a delicacy in many regions and can be used to create fertilizer, chicken feed and can be tested in experiments. Although A. fulica can have a negative effect to humans as it feeds on the crops of farmers, resulting in a loss in crops available for the farmers to sell. Additionally, when the A. fulica dies it can cause pollution to the soil around it since its body is composed of calcium carbonate which when left in the soil can change the soil