Common Giant African Snail Species with their Unique Features and Characteristics

March 13, 2023May 28, 2023 Agric4Profits

The advantage of snail farming (Heliciculture) over most other livestock includes low capital requirement, for its establishment and operation, less demand of professional knowledge, very high fecundity and low mortality, less labour requirement and availability of ready domestic and international markets among others.

There are three major Giant African Snail Species and they include the following: the Achatina Marginata (AM), the Achatina Achatina (AA) and the Achatina Fulica (AF).

Now let us discuss the giant african snail species in details below to enable you be able to identify and different them whether you are searching for giant african snail for sale, the giant african snail pet and many more. No matter the reasons behind your search, below are the giant african snail facts you should be aware of:

1. Achatina Marginata

Common Giant African Snail Species with their Unique Features and Characteristics — ACHANTINA MAGNATA

This is called the big black snail or giant snail. It is commonly found in the forest along the coast of West Africa. This is the most common snail found in Nigeria amidst Achatina Fulica.

The shell has a mottled color of black, brown and white and very thick. The shell collar is pink. The skin color is dark grey. Some small breed of white skin is found in some areas usually called Albino snails.

At maturity they are 11 to 19cm and weight between 600 to 800 grams or more. They grow to full size in their natural habitat from 12 to 14months or more.

They lay between 5 to 15eggs per clutch which is usually 2 to 3 times in year and 40 to 80 eggs per year as the case may be. The shell is less pointed than Achatina Achatina specie but rather blunt in outlook.

2. Achatina Achatina (AA)

The AA is also found in Nigeria but not as common as the AM specie. It is also called the Giant Tiger land snail. It is most common in countries like Ghana, Benin Republic, Togo, and Liberia as the case may be.

The AA is popularly referred to as Ghana tiger. Because it is mainly found in Ghana, the extra giant size and the designs on the shell.

It has a yellowish and darkish spine on the shell which has close similarity with a tiger colour. AA has a very pointed tail just like AF. It usually has 7 or more rings “round-curved” on the shell.

The eggs are the smallest among the three. Though, it grows slower compare to AM, It can grow big on the long run. It is also good for business, but it requires a lot of patients and extra care, it appear to be more delicate breeding.

AA can lay up to 200 to 500 eggs per clutch. It can do so at least 2 to 3 times in a year. It takes between 21 to 32 days for the eggs laid to hatch.

AA snails though not really a common snail in Nigeria; we do have snail farmers who are breeding them in Nigeria. However, note that if u don’t know much about snails as a snail Farmer you may not be able to identify nor differentiate it from its closer counterpart the AF is placed alongside, because they have almost similar features.

AA has its own uniqueness from AM. One of such is the rate of egg production. AA and AF snails reproduce rapidly unlike the AM.

Although AM eggs are usually bigger in size compared to AA and AF snails that are smaller in size. There are other species but the above three are the most common in Nigeria for instance.

3. Achatina Fulica (AF)

The AF can also be found in countries like: Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique and the likes, is available also in Nigeria. The most common characteristics is the egg production rate just as the AA.

It lays up to 200 to 400 eggs in a clutch and can lay that up to 2 to 3 times in a year. The AF snail also known as the garden snail is a snail that reaches 20 cm in length or occasionally more, with a shell length up to 20cm and a maximum diameter of 12cm.

It is conical, the spiraled shell is predominantly brown with weak, darker banded markings across the spiral. The tail end is unusually sharp just like the AA.

This snail has very pointed tail. Dark shell, though, very similar shell colour is sometimes found among the Marginata’s but with clear difference on the foot colour. It has over 7 rings/circle/curved.

AF is usually very smaller in size compare to AM and AA. The snail size also reflect on its eggs size. It is funnily called the City girl.