To the largest Gastropoda a mollusk the African tiger snail by right is considered. Its official name displays features of its sizes – an akhatin huge.
Usually the size of these snails does not exceed 30 centimeters from the head to a tail and 10 in the diameter of a cone-shaped sink. The copy which length of a body reached nearly 40 centimeters, and a sink – from the basis to top – more than 27 was entered in the Guinness Book of Records. This akhatina of 900 grams weighed.
History of distribution
The homeland of huge mollusks is the East African damp jungle. Local tribes ate meat of snails, and big beautiful sinks used as ware and jewelry. But even contrary to such simple trade the population of these Gastropoda promptly grew, developing all new and new territories. And already shortly huge akhatina extended on islands of the Indian and Quiet oceans, and then and in Asia.
From Japan where farmers began to grow up snails for the culinary and medical purposes commercially, the akhatina got to Europe and the USA. But if in France this animal was necessary, literally, to a table and was bought for restaurants by huge parties, then in the American State of Florida the acquaintance with akhatiny nearly developed into environmental disaster. This bryukhonogy – the hermaphrodite therefore for his active reproduction the sex of individuals in couple does not matter. Such fertility, fast growth and improbable gluttony akhatin led to almost elimination of agricultural crops. Besides, huge snails the whole packs stuck around walls of houses and ate from them plaster probably to fill up the shortage of minerals in an organism. Only extreme measures and a quarantine helped to stop further distribution of a mollusk across America.
The maintenance of an akhatina in house conditions
For quite some time now the extravagant African akhatina became a popular pet. It is so simple to support a snail as the favourite as far as and pleasantly. The unpretentious mollusk in leaving and food as it became clear, is capable to become attached to the owner and to avoid strangers. Researchers came to a conclusion that adult akhatina have long-term memory and, unlike young growth, choose to themselves the favourite vacation spot to which they always come back. Eats this bryukhonogy practically all – from herbs and vegetables to milk and eggs, but salt, citrus fruit, coffee, greasy and spicy food can lead to death of a snail. If to respect the rules of temperature and humidity in a terrarium of an akhatina and to provide it good various food, then it is possible to enjoy not importunate society of the largest mollusk for ten years.