VIDEO + 18 VJEC JU LUTEM
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Florida residents do not just have to worry about sink holes and pythons, but they are also currently being invaded by a growing population giant African land snails. And the critters are multiplying by the day.
The
monstrous mollusk can grow to be as large as a rat, and has the ability to
damage buildings by eating through thick plaster walls. They specifically like
stucco because the material gives them calcium to build up their shells.
They
also flourish in the area because they do not have any natural enemies to fend
off, can easily attack many species of local plants and have been able to
reproduce in huge quantities. One of these slimy giants can lay 1,200 eggs a
year.
There
have been 117,000 of these snails picked up in Miami-Dade County since they
first noticed the infestation in September 2011.
Denise
Fiber, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services told Return .
