Florida fights stucco-eating African snails

An epic battle is raging in South Florida: man against snail.

The state is struggling to contain an invasion of the giant African land snail, a species that thrives in hot and wet tropical climates. These gooey and destructive mollusks grow up to 8.5 inches long, feast on 500 different types of plants and nibble on calcium-rich stucco, which they use to construct their cone-shaped shells.

The snails are originally from East Africa but can now be found throughout the world. Aside from destroying plants and buildings, they can also be carriers of a type of meningitis. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-giant-snails-20130504,0,732437.story

Story courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Deborah Netburn