The African land snail, (Ferussac) is the species of snail found on land and generally grow to around 20 cm in length. They have a light to dark brown shells with vertical stripes of a darker shade of brown on them. The average adult shell has a conical shape and its length is 4 inches although exceptional individuals have reached up to inches 7 inches. The African land snail is native to humid, forest areas but can also observe in agricultural areas, coast land, natural forest, planted forests, shrublands, urban areas, and wetlands. The African land snail is seen to be highly invasive species and large colonies of land snails can be formed from just one individual. African land snails are active during the night and spend the daytime hours safely buried underground. It is very predominantly seen in the rainy days in the NEERI Campus. They generally feed on, Vegetables, Fruit, Flowers.

African land snails have both male and female reproductive organs. Although they primarily mate with one another, in more isolated regions the giant African land snail is capable of reproducing by itself. Giant African land snail lay around 6 clutches of eggs every year, laying an average of 200 eggs per clutch. Around 90% of snail hatchings survive meaning that a snail free area can quickly become infested.

The global invasive species database, have listed the African giant snail in the top 100 of their rank. The Snail is originally native of East Africa, from Mozambique in the south to Kenia and Somalia in the north. However, they have been introduced in recent years to several locations and seem to have adapted extremely well. It may surprise you to learn that it is illegal to have one of them in the United States as a pet.