What Is The Worlds Largest Snail?

The largest snail in the world is the giant African land snail, Achatina fulica. A Giant Achatina fulica snail was found in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2008. The amazing thing about world’s largest snail is its growing period. It can grow up to three inches in length and weigh almost one pound. 

Giant African Land Snail

The snail is the world’s largest living pulmonate gastropod, which means it has a lung. Out of all the different gastropods – slugs, snails, and whelks – the African land snail is the only one that has a lung. These snails use their lungs to extract oxygen from air and then breathe it in.

The giant African land snail is not the only snail with a lung. There are also two other species of giant slugs that have lungs as well: The Australian giant slug, Deroceras reticulatum, and The Philippine giant slug, Megalobradra gigantea. However, these slugs are not as big as the African land snail. The average size of an Australian giant slug is about 1 inch long and the average size of a Philippine giant slug is approximately 1/2 inch long.

The African land snail is the largest living pulmonate gastropod because it has a bigger shell than any other species of snail. The shell of an African land snail can reach up to two feet in length and can weigh up to 10 pounds! The shells of other snail species are typically much smaller, and some of them don’t even have a shell at all!

The giant African land snail, Achatina fulica, is the world’s largest living pulmonate gastropod. This snail can grow up to two feet long and weigh over one pound.