Invasion Of The Giant African Land Snails.doc

Invasion Of The Giant African Land Snails Like many midwesterners, it turns out that giant African land snails really love Florida. Not A Good Thing Unfortunately, giant African Land Snails are some of the world’s most destructive snails. They can grow to be eight inches long — as big as rats — and to weigh more than one pound. They’re so huge, in fact, that their shells have been known to blow out tires. The real trouble is that these snails reproduce very quickly. Under optimal conditions — such as warm, tropical Florida — one snail can lay up to a thousand or so eggs a year. And these snails’ typical life span is three to five years, with some living as long as nine years. Why Is This A Problem? Unlike most snails, giant African land snails don’t just eat decaying organic matter or leaf molds; they eat the plants themselves, so they pose a huge threat to agriculture, one of Florida’s main industries. What’s more, they’re not picky.They eat over five hundred species of plants, and some have even been known to chew through stucco and plastic containers. And for your health. Some of these snails can carry diseases such as a parasitic rat lungworm that can cause meningitis in humans. So if you see a giant African land snail in your yard, don’t touch it or kill it yourself. Instead, call your local authorities or department of agriculture so that they can dispose of the snail and its nesting materials safely. 译文 入侵非洲大陆的蜗牛 体型巨大的非洲陆生蜗牛同许多生活在中西部地区的动物一样大爱美国弗罗里达州。 非吉是凶 但不幸的是，他们的破坏性在世界上数一数二。他们有8英寸长，和老鼠一般大小，重达一磅还多。 他们是那样的大，事实上，他们的壳能扎破轮胎，这一点远近闻名。真正的麻烦在于这种蜗牛繁衍速度极快。在理想的条件下，比如在温暖的热带地区弗罗里达，一只蜗牛一年可以产卵一千个左右。而一般这种蜗牛的寿命是3到5年，一些甚至可以存活9年之久。 为什么这是个问题? 同大多数蜗牛不同，这种蜗牛不吃腐败的有机质食物，也不吃叶霉。他们吃植物本身，如此一来，对主要产业为农业的弗罗里达州来说，他们会构成巨大的威胁。此外，他们可一点也不挑食。他们的食物涵盖500多种植物，据说有些蜗牛甚至还啃食石灰泥和塑料袋。 蜗牛对人类的健康也有害。一些蜗牛会携带具有寄生性的大鼠肺丝虫和其他疾病，导致人类患上脑膜炎。因此，你要是在自家的庭院看到一个巨大的非洲蜗牛，珍爱生命，千万别碰。你要做的是打电话请地方当局或农业部门来安全地处理它们及它们筑巢的材料。 【本译文由普特网友 veroniquelj 提供】 PS：非洲大蜗牛是中大型的陆栖蜗牛。成体壳长一般为7～8厘米，最大则可长到超过20厘米。夜行性，杂食性，大多是在潮湿环境中活动，喜欢在下雨及夜间出没。平时躲在阴