The southern region has abundant summer rainfall, often falling every three to five minutes. After the rain, we are not only given clear skies, cool air, but also snails.
Snails on the same leaves after rain
If you pay close attention, you will find that in addition to the undried rain on the ground, there are also large snails. If you are not careful enough, it is possible that you will hear a crunching sound of "clicking" when you walk on the road, and when you look back, you have accidentally stepped on a snail.
Somewhat disgusting images| trampled snails and their mucus
What's so strange about seeing snails? Isn't it a very common mollusk? Don't worry, this tells you.
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="01" > African giant snail , the world's largest snail</h1>
Compared with the heels, the length of the heel is about 8cm
This snail is not an ordinary snail, its size is much larger than the average snail, and some are even larger than a human fist.
It is called the African giant snail, one of the first 16 invasive alien species in China, and is included in the List of Invasive Alien Species in China. It is extremely harmful to vegetables and other crops, and is a class II quarantine pest for the entry and exit of China. Its length is generally about 8 centimeters, and the adult African snail can reach 20 centimeters in its shell (almost longer than our normal feet). They prefer to be in humid environments, so they can often be seen after rain.
Have you ever seen such a big snail?
As an invasive alien species, the African giant snail has the following characteristics:
Breeding speed is fast. An African large snail lays about 200 eggs 5-6 times a year, and can lay more than 1,000 eggs a year, and the survival rate is extremely high. African large snails are hermaphrodite, allogeneic fertilization, if a region invades two African large snails, if not controlled, in less than a year or two, the African large snails in the region may flood.
Strong survivability. African large snails are omnivorous and scavengeral. Not picky eaters, whether it is trees, vegetables, flowers, etc., it is its delicacy. And the African giant snail has 25,000 teeth, so its eating speed is very fast, the amount of food is large, and the harm to crops can be imagined. Due to their high digestion capacity, African snails can even nibble on cement when hungry.
Close-up of the African giant snail
The African giant snail was originally endemic to Africa, but with the strengthening of international trade, the African giant snail has been distributed around the world on the express train of domestic and foreign trade, or "housewarming" due to human introduction. With its strong adaptability, it has become a headache for invasive alien species in many countries. At present, it is widely distributed in the humid and hot areas of Asia, the Americas, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and other places, which has caused great harm to the development of local agriculture, forestry and horticulture.
As early as 2013, Miami, Florida, was invaded by a large number of African snails, and the authorities have spent $6 million to clear and suppress 128,000 so far. To deal more effectively with large snails, authorities are training Labrador dogs to help sniff out odors and find out where large snails are hiding.
According to reports, a hundred hectares of banana forest on a certain land in Indonesia were destroyed overnight by the African giant snail...
The harm of large snails can be seen in this.
African giant snail on dead leaves
Every time we talk about species invasion and uncontrollable flooding, we always think of eating it for the first time, but for the African giant snail, is it really so simple, can it be solved by eating?
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="02" > Can African snails eat them? </h1>
In Africa, the giant snail is revered as a delicacy on the tip of the tongue. Africans are very fond of eating wild snails, steaming and frying, covering almost all kinds of ways to eat, and even eating them to the point of extinction.
Vanilla butter snails
As a big foodie country, why can't China eat this african snail?
Experts pointed out that this African large snail carries a large number of pathogens and parasites due to its perennial life in a humid and dark environment. In terms of parasites, African large snails carry a variety of nematodes, whipworms, tapeworms, pinworms, and the famous Guangzhou tube nematode (also known as Guangzhou live blood nematode), eating African large snails infected with these parasites or directly touching their mucus and excrement, which may cause abdominal vascular neurosis, schistosomiasis, and even fatal meningitis.
The mucus left by the African giant snail is very pronounced
In 1985, a family of nine in Taiwan became infected with the parasite after eating uncooked African large snails, killing four people.
In 1999, after eating raw organic vegetables crawled by snails, a taichung family of six infected all of them with Guangzhou roundworm, resulting in meningitis.
After reading these cases, do you still dare to eat African snails?
The African giant snail is very beautiful in light and shadow
Tube-strongiasis is a food-derived parasitic disease. Once the disease occurs, the clinical manifestations and symptoms vary in severity, and the misdiagnosis rate is high.
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="03" > The C. brachioensis</h1>
Angiostrongylus cantonensis ) belongs to the phylum Nematodes , Nematodes , Order Laminae , Posteriorly , Subfamily , Subfamily , Andyloides . The parasite infects rodents such as mice, lays eggs in their pulmonary arteries, passes through the trachea, esophagus, and is eventually excreted through feces.
Strongyloides
Mollusks (such as snails, slugs, etc.) are close to rodents due to their living environment and often appear in places where rodents are infested, so they carry many germs and are also very susceptible to infection with Guangzhou tube cymbidium. We also become infected with this parasite if we eat raw or undercooked snails or slugs, or food that has been contaminated with them.
As for why so many people still dare to eat large snails in Africa, it is probably formed by long-term historical and geographical reasons. The big snail looks tender and fat, and if it is served on the table, it must taste good. The problem of food and clothing for the African people is difficult to solve, and if you see such a big snail on the road, of course, you choose to eat it.
The African snail is lying on the apple drinking water, and the picture is somewhat beautiful
In reality, though, the African giant snail is not so scary. If we eat, choose a relatively clean African snail that is artificially farmed, this snail is relatively hygienic in the feeding process, and cooked at high temperatures during the cooking process, killing parasites and germs, which is relatively safe.
Now, some people still raise African snails as pets, and the cute appearance of snails is cute, but you must also pay attention to hygiene.
bibliography:
African snails invade the United States Authorities spend $6 million to clear the united states, China News Network
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CHEN Deniu. The spread of African giant snails in Yunnan[J]. Phytosanitary Medicine, 1996, 000(001):12.
HONG Fuchang. Control of herbivorous snails by carnivorous snails[J]. Guangdong Agricultural Sciences, 1983(4).
ZHOU Weichuan. Biological study of African large snail population[J]. Plant Protection, 2006, 32(2):86-88.
ZHENG Nancai, HUANG Baoming, LIANG Bainian, et al. A case of severe Guanlianiasis in Guangzhou[J]. Journal of Tropical Medicine, 2006, 006(010):1126-1127.
GUO Jing, ZHANG Jia'en, WU Ruishan, et al. Research status and prospect of African giant snail in China[J]. Southern Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2015, 046(004):P.626-630.