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Giant African Land Snail

Giant African Snail line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Giant African Snail illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The Giant African Land Snail was completed on 1.16.10. While visiting the Big Island of Hawaii, one night I forgot to take the trash from the back door out to the dumpster. In the morning, a good number of snails had found it and were gleefully going over it for something to eat. This slight miscue was actually fortunate, as I grabbed my camera and sketch pad to study them. I had originally thought it was a Hawaiian Tree Snail, but a researcher at the University of Hawaii set me straight on the matter.

Information about the Giant African Land Snail:

The Giant African Land snail is a species of large, air-breathing gastropod member of the Achatinidae family. They are native to the forests of East Africa, but have been introduced widely into Asia, and Pacific and Indian Ocean islands and the West Indies. They are recognized now as one of the worst invasive species on the planet, and they have devastated ecosystems where they have been introduced. They feed on plants, fruits, vegetables and even sand, small stones and concrete as calcium sources. They will even eat other snails. Generally they are active at night, searching for food but will spend most of the day buried underground.