Five-pound snail grosses people out in New Orleans!

**AliceInWonderland** · October 18th, 2006, 05:07 PM

Scary!

and kinda yuck

I'm sure I'll see it in my nightmares tonite!

Five-pound snail draws attention in Bayou Blue

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/961/5lbslugke2.png
02:37 PM CDT on Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Mika Edwards / Houma Courier

BAYOU BLUE -- Three years ago, Bayou Blue resident Toni Arnold bought several small snails from Wal-Mart to help keep the algae in her outdoor pond to a minimum.

After she put the mollusks in her husband’s large pond in the back yard, she didn’t see them again until Tuesday, while taking a walk outside with her dog, Gator.

From a distance, it looked like a football-like object hanging from a shrub near the pond’s edge. Once she got closer, Arnold realized that what was hanging from the branch was one of the snails she purchased three years ago.

"It was gigantic," she said. "I thought it was a wasp’s nest when I saw it."

Toni Arnold of Bayou Blue snapped a shot of Moses the 5-pound snail as it hung from a shrub in her pond Tuesday.
Arnold ran into her house to grab a camera and began taking pictures of the snail, which has been named Moses, after the biblical figure. The portraits were soon e-mailed to several of Arnold’s friends, causing a frenzy. Many wanted to bring their children and grandchildren to Arnold’s property in Bayou Blue to have a look.

"I didn’t realize it would cause such a stir," she said.

Unfortunately, by the time Arnold’s friends were able to visit, Moses had again disappeared into the water to feast on the algae below.

Arnold, who speculated that Moses was about 5 pounds and the size of a potato, said she suspects the snail grew to his big size by eating large amounts of algae on the bottom of the pond.

Allyse Ferrara, an assistant professor of biology at Nicholls State University, looked at the pictures Arnold took and said Moses is most likely an apple snail from South America or Asia. To be able to identify it further, Ferrara said she would need more information, including shell height, coloration and the shape of the shell opening.

"Apple snails are the largest living freshwater snails and are eaten by humans in parts of Asia," she said.

A variety of apple snail is native to the Gulf Coast, but it is smaller than Moses.

Ferrara cautioned against putting non-native snails in local waterways, such as bayous and lakes, because they may become established and compete with other snails, introduce disease or become agricultural pests.

Like almost everything, there is a Web site dedicated to the apple snail. Applesnails.net says the tropical species make for common aquarium pets and can reach about 6 inches in diameter.

Since Tuesday’s sighting, Arnold is on the lookout for Moses’ return from the pond’s depths.

If Arnold does see Moses again, she plans to relocate him to a smaller pond in front of her house so he can be on display.

"Everyone wants to see him," she said.

http://www.wwltv.com/local/lafourche...43cddb3b.html#

**moomies** · October 18th, 2006, 05:11 PM

wow, man...that IS gross. But I'm intrigued by most things gross.

**Sojiita** · October 18th, 2006, 05:21 PM

DISGUSTING!! *Alice I wonder if the French would eat that?

*

**mtlebay** · October 18th, 2006, 05:59 PM

Speaking of snails, I have a snail story.

When I was was young, my parents would often bring home fresh seafood from the fish market and often they would bring home snails (my fave). So once, when I was approx 8-yrs old, my parents brought home snails and they were soaking in water before being cooked (to rid of the sand) in a round metal mixing bowl. I was playing w/ one or two snails cos they kept climbing up the side of the bowl and I would poke it back down w/ my finger--I thought they were rather cute and playful. Then I went out to play. Half hour later, my parents called my bros and I in for dinner, and at the dinner table, sitting in front of me are these snails all cooked up hot and steaming. I looked at the poor snails, ate one, all I can remember was crunching/chewing on the poor little guy's head and EVER SINCE THEN have stopped eating snails.

Moral of the story: Don't play with your food.

**Mavado** · October 18th, 2006, 06:06 PM

^^Sick!!!!! I don't think i could ever eat a snail or any other creepy crawlies.

**AliceInWonderland** · October 18th, 2006, 06:10 PM

Originally Posted by Sojiita

DISGUSTING!! *Alice I wonder if the French would eat that?

*

hardy har har; you trying to get my big fat french-candian bacon banned!?!

Originally Posted by Mavado

^^Sick!!!!! I don't think i could ever eat a snail or any other creepy crawlies.

or any other mushy wushies! like clams in clam chowda!!!

**Grimmlok** · October 18th, 2006, 06:19 PM

i dont eat anything that leaves its own trail.

**Mavado** · October 18th, 2006, 06:22 PM

Yeah i know what you mean, it makes me gag when i see ppl on tv munch on live caterpillars and there's green and brown stuff squirting out and you can just hear the rubbery crunching.

**Reptillycus** · October 18th, 2006, 10:38 PM

I bet there is a lot of wildlife moving back into the formerly people populated areas, I saw on Fox News that people are catching sharks in lake Ponchatrain for the first time.

**twitchy** · October 19th, 2006, 08:02 AM

" speculated that Moses was about 5 pounds and the size of a potato"
One of these estimates is seriouly off unless it's a spectacularly dense potato. Apple snails the size of a potato would be quite reasonable and not at all newsworthy. The ones in my son's fishtank are as big as my fist. They like to eat zuchinni slices when they run out of algae. I should freak out and alert the press!!!

**moomies** · October 19th, 2006, 01:03 PM

Can you post some pics of it Twitchy? I had some water snails when I was in high school, bought them for a biology class project.

**SuperHeroTights** · October 23rd, 2006, 01:13 AM

Originally Posted by mtlebay

Speaking of snails, I have a snail story.

When I was was young, my parents would often bring home fresh seafood from the fish market and often they would bring home snails (my fave). So once, when I was approx 8-yrs old, my parents brought home snails and they were soaking in water before being cooked (to rid of the sand) in a round metal mixing bowl. I was playing w/ one or two snails cos they kept climbing up the side of the bowl and I would poke it back down w/ my finger--I thought they were rather cute and playful. Then I went out to play. Half hour later, my parents called my bros and I in for dinner, and at the dinner table, sitting in front of me are these snails all cooked up hot and steaming. I looked at the poor snails, ate one, all I can remember was crunching/chewing on the poor little guy's head and EVER SINCE THEN have stopped eating snails.

Moral of the story: Don't play with your food.

Yet another reason why I'm a vegetarian

I think that giant snail is kinda cute