The species is believed to be native to West Africa, within 160 kilometres (99 miles) to 300 kilometres (190 miles) of the coasts off Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Ghana, and Nigeria.

Certain examples have been surveyed in the wild at 30×15 cm, making them the largest extant land snail species known.

[7] In other instances, the giant African land snail has been known to eat smaller invertebrates in order to reach their desired calcium and protein intake needed for survival.

[8] This species' substantial size and potential for rapid population growth can make the snail a serious pest when introduced to non-native ecosystems.

The population size of this species can be curtailed through disease caused by the bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila[9] but it often has no other natural enemies.