Subspecies of African giant land snail

In this chapter, we highlight information about the different subspecies that exist of the African giant land snail. We highlight those that are most common in captivity as well as the specific needs and characteristics of each species. The subspecies we lift are the following:

Achatina fulica

Lissichatina reticulata

Achatina marginata

Achatina immaculata

Achatina albopicta

Achatina Iredalei   

Achatina fulica

General facts:

Achatina fulica is the most common subspecies to keep as pets. They are easy to care for, hardy and very pleasant with a stronger will to dig in the soil compared to many other species.

Size and appearance:

It is a medium-sized species that at adulthood is between 10-12 cm in scale length. They are very easy to care for, easy to handle and are a generally genetically healthy species that lives between 10-15 years in the wild. Note that the age in captivity is often somewhat lower. When very young, the shell is light brown and slightly transparent with some dots and faint stripes on it. As they grow, the stripes become darker and wider, and some get stripes so wide that almost the entire shell turns brown. However, the tip of the shell is usually light brown. Their body is brown, and the shell is quite pointed. The foot is smooth.

Origin and habitat:

They thrive in a nest with room temperature but also appreciate slightly warmer temperatures up to 25 degrees Celsius. Achatina fulica does not want it to be too wet in its home. The humidity should be between approximately 75-80%. In their home, they appreciate climbing opportunities and must have good space to move around as they are generally very active. 

Reproduction and sexual maturity:

A. fulica are hermaphrodites, meaning they are non-genders or both genders, depending on the point of view you choose to see it from. This species is very easy to propagate. Depending on the temperature, the eggs hatch within 5-21 days. They reach sexual maturity at the age of 1 year and can then, after mating, lay clutches of between 30-1000 eggs distributed over a number of litters each year.

Lissachatina reticulata  

General facts:

It has been debated back and forth over the years whether this species should have lissachatina or achatina as the species name and the question is under discussion even as I write this. However, I choose to avert the name that is relevant at the time of writing.
Lissachatina reticulata is one of the largest species of African giant snails that we keep as pets. They can be experienced as a bit more demanding than other species, but their personalities are strong, they are quite durable and, given the time required, they can be a very fun pet.

Size and appearance

Lissachatina reticulata have a rather unique feature that makes them easy to recognize among other species, namely the distinctly grooved shell. You can clearly feel the unevenness if you drag it over with your fingers. It is also somewhat conical, pointed at the bottom and a little wider near the end. The shell pattern is irregularly varying in shades of reddish brown and off-white. Because the species is so large as an adult, it also grows very quickly to have a scale length of up to 20 centimeters as a finished plant. Often, however, they are only around 15 cm. 

The snail's body is basically light brown or yellowish with a distinctly darker part of the face that fades out over the upper body towards the shell mouth. As pets, it is more common for them to have an albino colored body which is a mutation that came through breeding for this particular species.

Origin and habitat 

In the wild, they are limited and today have only been found in the more humid coastal areas of Tanzania. Since this is the original habitat of the species, they appreciate as pets an area in their nest with finely ground sand. They want a temperature between 23-28 degrees Celsius and a humidity between 80-85%. Digging and climbing opportunities are also appreciated as it is an active species that is mainly active during the night.

Reproduction and sexual maturity:

Puberty is usually achieved between nine months and one year of age, but in exceptional cases it can occur as early as six months of age. You know when it has occurred by the fact that there is a bulge in the throat.

 

Arachatina marginata

General facts:

Achatina marginata is sometimes also called the banana rasp snail. They are commonly found as pets in the snail hobby and are especially popular with those who like the larger species. This one is the second largest of all African giant land snails if you look at the weight.

Size and appearance

This snail is notable for a specific feature, namely a visibly raised V-edge on the back of the foot that no achatina has. Their shell is also less pointed than other snails in the arachatina family. The skin is unusually finely textured, which are characteristics that are also found in the subgroups within the species. They come in a variety of skin colors and have a typical mixed color coat. The snail has a bulbous, large and wide protoconch, with a white or bluish-white columella, parietal wall and outer lip. The snail's shell can be up to 21 cm in height and 13 cm in diameter. The shell, when enlarged, looks like a woven texture.

Origin and habitat 

As this is an adaptable species with a wide distribution, it is difficult to base the home you create for this species on a specific environment. Namely, they have spread to the Caribbean and over large parts of the whole of West Africa.
However, daytime temperatures of 27-29°C and a humidity of 80-90% have proven to be good for keeping this species. Climbing opportunities as well as the opportunity to dig and explore are very important
The soil is estimated to be moist to swampy wet.

Sexual maturity 

Something that differentiates the oviposition between this species and other African giant snails is that these sometimes lay eggs without burying them. Sexual maturity is reached at 9-10 months of age in captivity, but often later in the wild. The size of the litter varies up to 40 eggs and has a yellowish color with dark spots. The time before hatching is usually around one month.

Achatina Immaculata 

General facts

Achatina Immaculata is generally considered an easy-care species known to grow incredibly fast and become very beautiful as adults with their large, beautifully shaped shells. Achatina Immaculata has 4 subspecies that are commonly kept as pets.
​These subspecies require the same environment, but housing them together can lead to mixed breed offspring which will be bad for the bread and the genetic pool. Immaculata also like to scratch each other's shells, so it is highly recommended not to house subspecies together. I will here only talk about Immaculata in general and not go into the subgroups.

Achatina immaculata is a very nice, curious and tough shell with a lot of foresight, which likes to investigate its surroundings. They happily appreciate a shower every now and then, and are food wrecks of great proportions. 

Size and appearance

They usually live 5-10 years in the wild, and reach a scale length of around 10-12 centimeters.
They grow very quickly, and normally become adults when they are about a year old. As a small cub, the shell is light brown and slightly transparent with brown stripes on it. As an adult, the shell is covered in dark brown stripes against a yellow-brown background. The columella is pink, and is best seen when the cochlea is retracted into the shell.
The body color has a warm, brown color.

Origin and habitat 

A. Immaculata originally comes from the coastal areas of South East Africa and is therefore one of the species that can appreciate an area in its nest with finely ground sand. Coral sand is a variant that is usually appreciated. As with other species, the origin must be kept in mind when creating a good environment for your snail. This variety wants a humidity between 70-80% and a temperature between 24-17 degrees Celsius. They appreciate both climbing, digging and exploring and need a good amount of activation to feel good when they are active.

Reproduction and sexual maturity 

They become sexually mature at about one year of age, and lay large clutches of up to about 150 eggs at a time. Depending on how long the snail has been carrying the eggs, as well as the environmental conditions, it takes anything from a day to a couple of weeks for the eggs to hatch.

Lissachatina albopicta

Lissachatina albopicta is a fairly invisible snail that remains buried under the substrate for much of the day and prefers to feed at night. This species is not very common in captivity. In any case, if you look at statistics from Great Britain, where the interest in shells as pets is the greatest in the world. However, it is a funny stand-out species from the rest of the snails in the same family because it is not a real giant and also settles for slightly lower humidity. There are also some other fun features we'll take a closer look at below.

Size and appearance

It has a maximum size of about 7 cm and this adult size is usually reached within the first year and a half. However, new growth can be noticed throughout the snail's adult life as the shell lip becomes more pronounced. It has a beige shell with distinct brown spots and stripes and a slightly pink tip on the shell. New bark growth appears completely beige and the brown markings appear over the course of a few months. The tip of the shell is much more pointed than in many African species The body of the snail is light brown to beige in color. Achatina Albopicta snails usually have a light brown body, while their shell is typically yellowish with dark markings. They have a pink apex and a white columella. They are one of the smaller of the giant species. One of their most interesting features is the shape of their shell.

Origin and habitat 

The species originally comes from Kenya and therefore the Kenyan climate can be kept in mind when you fix a good environment for your snail. Linked to care advice and the habitat they originate from, albopicta thrive in a nest with a temperature between 25-27 degrees celcius and want a humidity between 60-70%. They appreciate climbing opportunities but are usually more interested in good bottom substrate to dig into.

Reproduction and sexual maturity

Sexual maturity is usually reached between 9-10 months of age, but as with other species, it can happen both earlier and later. 
The eggs are similar to Achatina fulicas in appearance and are laid in batches of 30-90 at a time. The eggs are approximately 6 mm in diameter and are more fragile than standard, which should be taken into account when breeding.

Achatina Iredalei

General facts

Achatina Iredalei is not as common a species to have as a pet, mainly because they are relatively unknown and difficult to breed. This is also not a beginner snail as they are extra delicate, but for the curious and experienced snail owner this could be a perfect species. Among the African giant snails, Achatina Iredalei is one of the smaller ones, but their personalities are all the bigger and they stand out from the Achatina family in several interesting ways, which we take a closer look at below.

Size and appearance

Iredalei is one of the smaller ones in the Achatina family, they have a golden shell and a caramel and cream colored body, their internal organs can be partially seen through their thin and semi-transparent shell.

Origin and habitat

The species originally comes from Tanzania and so it is the country's warm and humid climate that you should keep in mind when creating a good home for your snail. Achatina Iredalei thrive in a temperature between 24-26° Celsius and the humidity in their home should be around 80%.

Reproduction and sexual maturity

Those who own one often keep them together with other snail species as Iredalei rarely breed with them. This because this species has a unique way of reproducing like a snail, which involves giving birth to live young instead of laying eggs. However, one should still bear in mind that mating can also take place with snails of other species, even though it is unusual. The other snails should also be about the same size.

At the earliest they reach sexual maturity at around nine months of age and the amount of eggs per litter is small, often between 10-20 eggs per litter.
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