tags: snails, weird pets, streaming video
Speaking of escargot, these giant African land snails (also known as the Agate Snail or Ghana Tiger Snail) are truly amazing and they weigh up to two pounds (900 grams) -- EACH! They are easy to keep, eating all sorts of vegetables and fruits, and if you get tired of keeping them as pets, you can always eat them for dinner. Oh, and you'll also enjoy the music that accompanies this video [3:03]
Oh, and to give you an idea of the size of these things, take a look at this video [0:30] ..
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Are you sure they are edible? Long-coiled snails tend to have bad taste (the yummy ones are the round varieties).
Forget about the French. They ruin the the things with all that garlic and butter. Snails, though smaller than these are a popular spring/summer snack around here, I ate several kg this year.
actually, i don't know that they are edible. i was just assuming, since i've never eaten snails and am not likely to ever do so, unless coerced after being fed lots of er, weed, first.
i do eat other slimy things, though, like clams and mussels and oysters (cooked).
These are amazing animals, but I would strongly discourage anyone from getting them as pets, they are illegal in many places because they have become a devastating problem as invasive species.
http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/africansnail.shtml
Yes they are edible. There is an online book with an entire chapter on how they are edible and how few people eat them outside their native africa
http://www.hear.org/books/tgas1961/
Click on chapter VIII
I recall a piece in the newspaper a few years back about New Zealand customs having problems with people from Pacific islands attempting to bring them into the country for food.
Giant African snails have been held responsible for the extinctions of many Pacific animals, particularly smaller native snails.