Meet the Giant African Land Snail. Image: Yenipedia
Snails the size of footballs are sludging their way across the world, killing crops and carrying meningitis along with them.
Known as giant east African snails, the invasive species has recently been discovered infiltrating Florida, nations in both Central and South America, and, most recently, Australia. The specimens are rather terrifying, seeing as how they can grow up to a foot long, weigh in at over two pounds, are capable of eating over 500 different species, can lay 1,200 eggs a year, and have few natural enemies in their new habitats. Oh, and they can also transmit life-threatening meningitis to humans.
The BBC recently reported that "In tropical regions, giant African snails, as well as other types of slugs and snails, can carry a nematode - a kind of parasite - called the rat lungworm. These minute worms, if ingested, enter the circulation and travel to the brain, where they can lead to eosinophilic meningitis."
Image: Damook
Snails have been blamed for at least three deaths in Ecuador, and a hundred other cases have been reported across the region.
No wonder Australian authorities were pissed when they discovered one of the rogue snails stealing away from a shipping yard yesterday, presumably after hitching a ride on a cross-oceanic vessel from Africa—the last time the snails got loose, they went on a mini-rampage and caused a major headache for farmers.
"The last major Australian outbreak of the snail was in 1977, when 300 giant snails were exterminated in Queensland in an intensive eight-month campaign of community education, baiting and snail collection," Reuters explains. Paul Nixon, regional manager at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, told the wire service that "Giant African snails are one of the world's largest and most damaging land snails."
It took nearly a year to stamp out the slimy invaders, and cost a pretty penny in the process.
Invasive species are a mounting concern around the world, of course. Chinese kelp is smothering San Francisco bay, the Burmese python is smothering everything in Florida, and Asian longhorn beetles now threaten up to 35% of the forests on the East Coast—and that's just the US. In the age of rapid, globalized trade and international tourism, species are breaking geographic boundaries left and right, and they're devastating finely-calibrated ecosystems in the process.
As for the big ugly snails, they're a persistent pest of the worst order. They're a problem in their native Africa, too. But a Nigerian nutritionist might have a solution—cook them up and eat them. They're apparently rich in protein, and more filling than beef.
Lesser known facts about Arnab Goswami
Arnab Goswami was in school, he used to answer every question with 33 questions.
Once he was inducted by the CBSE board in a panel to draft questions for the class X board exams. Was dropped after he added a 'nation needs to know' suffix to each question
His first love letter had 137 questions for the object of his affection
Arnab's wife never argues with him as she is afraid of losing
Most of the self proclaimed evidence papers he waves on his showNewshour are grocery lists written by his wife
Goswami's neighbors avoid him during their morning walk in order to prevent being asked 36 questions
Arnab Goswami's maid once fainted due to low BP after Goswami questioned her absence from duty
08 secs is the longest any panelist has spoken on Newshour without interruption by Arnab
Pakistan's former dictator and clown Parvez Musharraf had 5 military interrogators question him non-stop for 34 hours in preparation for his first
appearance on Newshour
He starts his day with 36 questions to self
Once a service manager at a prominent 5-star hotel asked Arnab for feeback on his stay. The manager was released only after Goswami asked him 74 questions
Panel-Panel was Arnab's favorite game as a 6-year old. He used to gang up with 4 neighborhood kids and grill random kids on random
topics
His autobiography 'The nation needs to know' is written in a QnA format
During his interview for a job as a reporter for NDTV, Arnab asked Pranoy Roy 93 questions in under one hou
TOO
GOOD TO BE TRUE:
THE
FIRST CLASS,THE SECOND CLASS
AND
THE
NO CLASS
Most ‘First Class‘
Students get technical seats, some become Doctors and some Engineers.
The ‘Second Class‘
pass, and then pass MBA, become Administrators and control the ‘First Class‘.
The ‘Third Class‘
pass, enter politics and become Ministers and control both.
Last, but not the least, The 'Failures' join the underworld and control ALL the above.
Howz’ that ???
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