Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: African Snail Attacks Local Flora

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CARACAS, Oct 20 2007 (IPS) - The giant African land snail (Achatina fulica), first found in Venezuela a decade ago, is devouring leaves and fruits in gardens and small farm plots in Aragua, in the north, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. “It is considered a plague, and because it is hermaphrodite it reproduces rapidly, boosted by the rainy season and with its ability to adapt to cooler and warmer climates,” Alberto Fernández, zoologist at the Central University of Venezuela, told Tierramérica.

With some growing to 12 centimeters long, the snail can alter the ecological balance of the area, hills along Venezuela's Caribbean coast, appearing near the Henri Pittier National Park, a rich reserve of flora and fauna covering 107,000 hectares in Aragua.