Lissachatina fulica is a species of large land snail that belongs in the subfamily Achatininae of the family Achatinidae.

It competes with native snail taxa, is a nuisance pest of urban areas, and spreads human disease.

[2] The species is native to East Africa,[5] but it has been widely introduced to other parts of the world through the pet trade, as a food resource, and by accidental introduction.

[7] In 1961, Albert R. Mead, published the seminal work entitled "The Giant African Snail: A Problem in Economic Malacology".

By 1967 the snail was present in Tahiti, spreading through New Caledonia and Vanuatu by 1972 into French Polynesia by 1978, including America Samoa.

[7] In 1984, L. fulica was found established in the French West Indies, spreading across Guadeloupe and by 1988 arriving in Martinique.

[citation needed] The eggs of Lissachatina fulica are pure white and opaque but may be slightly yellowish or even somewhat transparent.

The snails prefer areas that shelter them from light in the daytime and prevent desiccation; examples are leaf litter or piles of debris.

[7] L. fulica occurs in a wide range of temperate climates, now including most regions of the humid tropics.

The snail can survive in an aestivation state for up to three years by sealing itself into its shell by secretion of a calcareous compound that dries on contact with the air.

[29] This snail is a protandric hermaphrodite; each individual has both testes and ovaries and is capable of producing both sperm and ova.

[30][25] Self-fertilization has been observed and therefore snails do not require a partner to reproduce, however it is relatively rare and the resulting egg clutch is small with low viability.

[25] In many places, this snail is a pest of agriculture and households, with the ability to transmit both human and plant pathogens.

[38] In the wild, this species often harbors the parasitic nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which can cause a very serious meningitis in humans.

[39] In some regions, an effort has been made to promote use of the giant African snail as a food resource to reduce its populations.

Colonies of A. fulica were introduced as a food reserve for the American military during World War II and they escaped.

A carnivorous species (Florida rosy wolfsnail, Euglandina rosea) was later introduced by the United States government, in an attempt to control A. fulica, but the rosy wolf snail instead heavily preyed upon the native Partula snails, causing the extinction of most Partula species within a decade.

The snail has been eradicated from California, U.S., Queensland, Australia, Fiji, Western Samoa, Vanuatu, and Wake Island, but these were relatively small populations.

[7] The Argentinian National Agricultural Health Service has established an ongoing project to detect, study, and prevent the expansion of this pest.

[41] Terrestrial snails in urban environments at high densities pose a risk for human health in the form of zoonotic disease.

Human-mediated transport is a major cause of the dispersal of invasive and pest snails, which are then able to survive at high densities in close proximity to people.

[48] In Taiwan, this species is used in the dish of 炒螺肉 (fried snail meat), which is a delicacy among the traditional drinking snacks.

L. fulica also constitutes the predominant land snail found in Chinese markets, and larger species have potential as small, efficient livestock.

[53] In light of social media posts where pet owners share images in close contact with the snails, a research from the University of Lausanne alerted with the risks of infections transmitted to humans.