Giant African snail
Overview
The East African land snail, or giant African land snail, scientific name Achatina fulica, is a species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of large, air-breathing land snail
Land snail
A land snail is any of the many species of snail that live on land, as opposed to those that live in salt water and fresh water. Land snails are terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells, It is not always an easy matter to say which species are terrestrial, because some are more or less...

, a terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...

 pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Achatinidae
Achatinidae
Achatinidae is a family of medium to large sized tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks from Africa...

.

As they develop rapidly and produce large numbers of offspring, this mollusc is now listed as one of the top 100 invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....

 in the world. It is a voracious feeder, and recognized as a serious pest organism affecting agriculture, natural ecosystems, and human health and commerce.
 
x
OK