A townsfolk in Florida has been put under quarantine measures after gargantuan African land snails were found in the New Port Richey area of Pasco County .
The escargot , which can raise up to20 centimeters ( 7.9 inch ) in length , are damaging to botany and agribusiness give their massive appetite , and can evenfeed on carcass bonesat a push when other atomic number 20 - plentiful foods are scarce . They also pose a threat to human health more directly , as they carry the parasiteAngiostrongylus cantonensis , or rat lungworm , which is known to cause meningitis in humans .
The species is specially hard to get rid of , as Florida has already discovered several times over . Their first appearance in the country was in 1969 , before their obliteration six years later . The second detection in 2011 see them stick around for a whole X .
" They can reproduce as young as four months old , pose many yard of eggs in its multiple - year animation span,“according tothe Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services ( FDACS ) .
" These snail can move recollective distance when they cling to fomite and machinery , or in chiliad trash . During unfavorable environmental conditions , the escargot can bury itself in land and stay motionless for up to a year . "
For the wellness peril , scathe to USDA and trouble in getting free of the coinage , it is illegal to own the animals without a permit in the US . However , it ’s likely the current site arose from the illegal pet deal , allot to FDACS public information director , Christina Chitty .
Chittytold CNNthat when illegally imported snails are released into the wilderness by their owners , or else lose , they can rapidly increase in numbers , survive on over 500 flora species , or even eat the pigment off houses as a source of calcium for their strong shield .
The quarantine begin on June 24 , and is still in effect in New Port Richey , Pasco County , Florida , as the FDACS attempts once again to decimate the encroaching brute . During this time , the authority tell that it is " unlawful to move the gargantuan African land escargot or a regulated article , include but not limited to , plants , plants parts , plants in territory , soil , yard waste , debris , compost or building materials , within , through or from a quarantine area without a compliance correspondence . "
Anyone who suspects they have found one of the snails is give notice totake a photograph and reach the agency .
