The giant African land snail is invading communities in South Florida---a species that is one of the world's most destructive.
And aside from their infestation threat, these slimy mollusks have the potential to grow as big as a rat and even chew through stucco and plaster.
A homeowner detected the first snail in September 2011 and since then, more than 1,000 of these invaders are caught each week in Miami-Dade-according to Denise Feiber, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
And a total of 117,000 of these snails have been caught since the initial sighting.
It does not look like relief is anywhere in the near future either, according to Feiber, who also said that residents should expect to see more of the invasive species especially with the rainy season about to start in seven weeks.
And it's not just humans that have to worry about the infestation, the super-sized mollusks attack "over 500 known species of plants...pretty much anything that's in their path and green," Feiber said.
But there is more for Florida residents to worry about, aside from the fear of running into one these unsightly super-snails.
Feiber also said that while no cases have been reported in the U.S., a parasitic lungworm that has the potential to cause meningitis and other illnesses in humans is carried by this invasive snail species.
And in Caribbean locales, like Barbados, the snails also cause hazards as their shells sometimes blow out tires on the highway or get jettisoned from lawnmower blades.
"It becomes a slick mess," Feiber said as she explained that their slime is projected onto walls and pavement when an incident like that occurs.
Have you spotted one of these super-snails? Let us know what your run-in with the slimy mollusk was like.
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