Giant Rat-Size Snails Invade Florida

[cali]

Florida has an invasive-species problem, and it’s not all the giant pythons in the Everglades. The state is being invaded by giant African land snails, which can grow as big as rats and chew through stucco and plaster. They breed fast. In Barbados, where they’re plentiful, their shells blow out tires on highways and their slime coats walls, according to NBC. It’s not clear how they got here, but the last invasion began when a boy brought three back as a pets. In seven years the population grew to 17,000, and it took $1 million and 10 years to eradicate them.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2013/04/15/giant-rat-sized-snails-invade-florida.html

[darkangel218]

1. Cool.

I wonder where they're at though, I haven't seen any yet

[rocktivity]

2. The BP oil spill?

I just read something here about dead dolphins and eyeless shrimp in the vicinity.


rocktivity

[Buzz Clik]

5. I don't get it. Dead dolphins and eyeless shrimp imported the snails?

The snails were in the oil formation and spewed out during the leak? These land snails eat petroleum in salt water? The eat dead dolphins and eyelss shrimp?

[FSogol]

13. Mega-Snail vs Cave Shrimp!

All we need are some soldiers with explosives and assault rifles, a busty hydrologist in a tank top driving a Jeep Wrangler with the top and windshield off, and .....

[Buzz Clik]

17. I'd see that movie. Will Matthew Broderick be in it, too?

We need a geeky, non-threatening biologist to explain the mutations.

[FSogol]

30. Only if Broderick gets swallowed whole, kicking and screaming by a Jumbo Shrimp.

[randome]

32. I'd buy a ticket for that!

[randome]

20. And salt. Lots of salt.

[FSogol]

23. Why not herb-garlic butter?

[Larkspur]

3. Isn't there a Sci-Fi movie about this?

[randome]

16. "The Monster That Conquered The World".

[winterpark]

4. Is this a joke? I live in Florida and have never seen any such animal. I also spent

a good deal of my childhood in Barbados and my sisters still live there and I've never seen or heard of such a thing there either.

[Buzz Clik]

6. Not a joke.

http://www.inquisitr.com/618482/giant-snails-invade-south-florida-video/

You can no longer claim to never hearing of such a thing.

[pinboy3niner]

7. We're gonna need...

...a bigger escargot fork.

[FSogol]

14. Duzy!

[Buzz Clik]

19. +1

[Buzz Clik]

18. More butter! And where the hell is my garlic press????!!!111

[mainer]

8. Protein!

Seems like some enterprising chef could find a way to serve these up. Or harvest them for pet food.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

9. So you are talking about the slimy, disgusting invertebrate from Florida?

But enough about Rick Scott now!

[Archae]

10. Uh oh...

(Actually it's a still from a 1988 movie, "Slugs&quot

[baldguy]

11. Bon Appétit

[Berlum]

12. Someone will start a chain of McEscargots -- problems solved.

[randome]

15. The giant snails are only the advance troops for this guy.

[Buzz Clik]

21. Attack of the killer banana pepper? With claws?

What is that?

[randome]

24. It's from that timeless classic, "It Conquered The World".

Not to be confused with the other image above from "The Monster That Conquered The World".

It's been described as a giant carrot monster. Not sure if that was the producer's intent.

[pinboy3niner]

27. I think I saw that on the Food Network--'When Produce Goes Bad'

[Armstead]

25. Gosh, it's my downstaits neighbor

[randome]

26. Run!

LOL!

[Armstead]

22. Calling Dr. Who

[bowens43]

28. Are they edible?

[Buzz Clik]

29. Yes, but eat them before they eat you.

[raccoon]

38. I was thinking that too...might be a good opportunity for someone to make money from escargot.nt

[Canuckistanian]

31. Run!

Oh, wait....

[randome]

33. Coming soon to an Internet near you: LULZ-SNAILS! Aren't they cute?

[Buzz Clik]

36. ew

[hobbit709]

34. They must be comparing them to small rats.

The rats around here are way bigger.

[phantom power]

35. pull back and nuke them from orbit

it's the only way to be sure.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

37. Snail-sized rats might be even worse. And they've probably got THOSE in Florida, too.

Yechh.

[raccoon]

39. Sinkholes and pythons and snails, oh my! nt

[Gidney N Cloyd]

40. I found a picture of one attacking someone:

[randome]

41. 40 posts before someone thought to mention Gary. What's this place coming to?