Another of Florida’s fine examples of invasive, destructive wildlife, this petite (13mm) snail originated in Southeast Asia but has spread to many additional places, including Taiwan, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, and Eastern Australia. It eats live plants, especially growing vegetables or crops, making them a pest for gardeners and farmers. Asian tramp snails are…
Tag: snail
Dorman’s Tree Snail
The Dorman’s tree snail or manatee tree snail, Drymaeus dormani, is a handsome little hermaphrodite which is harmless to plants. It is native to Florida, and has been used in Florida’s orange groves to protect the trees from sooty mold. These snails have thin, fragile shells which appear translucent. Mature snails reach 25-30 mm long….
Florida Tree Snail
This little fellow is prooooooobably a Florida tree snail (Liguus fasciatus). The “tree snails of Florida” identification key is a maze of nearly identical slimy bodies with slightly different patterns of bands on their shells. “Florida tree snail” seems to be what you call it when there aren’t enough bands to identify it properly. I…
Island Apple Snail Eggs
These little bundles (about 3″ long) are everywhere when we’re out kayaking, and I’ve often wondered what they are. They are the eggs of the island apple snail (Pomacea maculata), a huge freshwater snail which is unfortunately non-native to Florida. (Other common names include the spotted apple snail and channeled apple snail.) Apple snails are…