Pink eggs: All you need to know about the Apple Snail

As global temperatures rise, apple snails have been able to migrate to regions where conditions are more favorable. They thrive in wet environments like ponds, lakes, and swamps, especially in warmer climates, and have even adapted to survive land travel.

They’re well-suited to tropical regions where there’s a mix of dry and rainy seasons. These critters even have the ability to move across land, using a special “lid” (the operculum) to seal their shells and avoid drying out while they wait out the dry periods buried in the mud.

Irresponsible Aquarium Dumping

Apple snails are native to regions like South America, Central America and the West Indies. However, when they spread beyond their natural habitats, they can cause significant environmental issues.

The introduction of apple snails to the United States is largely due to irresponsible aquarium dumping. Reported as early as the 1970s in Texas, they’ve since spread to numerous states. Louisiana documented their presence in 2006.

“The main idea is that they often get a little too large or maybe too abundant, and for whatever reason the aquarium owner decides they don’t want them anymore,” explains Bill Walton, a specialist at the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

”So they decide to just release them in the waterways.”

From Culinary Ambition to Global Invasion

The apple snail problem isn’t new.

In 1980s, a species of apple snail was introduced to Taiwan with hopes of launching an escargot industry. The goal was to provide alternative protein sources for farmers, who largely depended on rice for their livelihoods.