Lissachatina fulica, or the African Land Snail, is an invasive species that has become a pest in many parts of the world. It was unknown on Kwajalein until sometime in the early 1990s, when there was a sudden influx of the snails, probably brought in by accident on one of the cargo ships. They quickly multiplied and spread around the island, eating a considerable amount of vegetation. But the population bloom was rather short-lived. Within a few years, the population crashed, possibly due to a drier than normal year. The last few I saw were in wet ground underneath a dripping air conditioner on a small optics building next to the Kwajalein small boat marina. I dispatched these and never saw another living specimen on the island. The shells, however, continue to be traded by hermit crabs. We did not think to take photos of living animals, but the figured shell was left by a hermit in the "hermit crab shell exchange" boxes we used to keep on our patio.
Created 23 May 2022