is a very large land snail similar to Achatina fulica. I am told they look almost identical except for an iridescent pinkish/purple coloring on the inside of the shell of A. immaculata. From Photos I've seen, A. fulica seems to have a more pointed shell, where A. immaculata has a more rounded shell It lays between 150-1000 eggs (depending on age), just about every 3-4 weeks. They will eat just about any plant matter too.
They are illegal in the United States, as are all species of Achatina. If caught with them, you could be subject to a $5000 fine and up to 5 years in jail. I have heard they can be found in some pet shops in the U.S. as Hawaian Land Snails. That doesn't make them any less illegal. Many pet shop owners don't know better.
Allegedly, in the early 70's a young boy, from Hawaii, was visiting his grandmother in the Miami area of Florida, and brought a few A. Fulicas with him from Hawaii. She decided to let them go in her back yard and they soon became a major agricultural pest, destroying entire orange groves. It took the US millions of dollars and several years to eliminate the pest from the state. They were introduced to California around the same time, presumably on a shipment from a foreign port. There too, they have been eliminated.
On Hawaii, they have literally taken over. They have forced several native species into extinction by eating all available food supplies. A carnivorous snail was imported from Africa, to destroy the Achatina fulica, but this turned out to be a worse problem. The carnivorous snail follows the trail of other snail and then eats them... the only problem was... they only eat snails that are smaller than themselves. Being only a fraction the size of A. fulica, they never ate any. They did, however start eating the remaining native snails.
Things never go right when man tries to play God!
These snails, along with a few other types of Giant African Land Snails (GALS), are kept as pets in many parts of Europe. They, supposedly, make very interesting pets and are said to even enjoy being held and pet. Some say they even seem to recognize their owners voice. I can't imagine calling my pet snail.
There is a lot of information regarding these snails, as a pet and as a pest, on the internet. I have put several links, that I found informative and interesting, on the links page. Take a look.
Here's some pics of two empty fulica shells I found while visiting the botanical gardens in the Bahamas.
