Giant, Rat-Sized Snails Overrun Florida; Giant African Land Snails Pose Threat To Ecosystem, Will "Create Devastation" This Summer

Officials in Florida are trying to figure out what to do with an invasion of giant, rat-sized African land snails. The Southern part of the state has been taken over by the voracious mollusks, which can grow to 8.5 inches in length and eat over 500 species of plants, e.g. "pretty much anything green", according to a spokeswoman for the Florida; as well as car tires and even plaster or stucco from houses.

117,000 giant snails have been found and more than a thousand of the gooey critters are caught each week. Despite the fact that some might view them as playful, or even "adorable", they pose a grave danger to homes and agriculture.

The Department of Agriculture spokeswoman, Denise Feiber, described the pests to NBC News, saying "They're huge, they move around, they look like they're looking at you ... communicating with you, and people enjoy them for that... but they don't realize the devastation they can create if they are released into the environment where they don't have any natural enemies and they thrive."

Worse,  the giant snails aren't just as big as rats - they are carriers for a parasitic rat lungworm that can cause illness to humans, including a form of meningitis. No cases have been diagnosed in the US yet.

The problem's going to keep growing- in about seven weeks,  more snails will come out of the ground as the rainy season in Florida draws to a close. Females can lay 1200 eggs a year. The snails have been an ongoing issue in some Carribean countries for years, creating a "slick mess", according to Feiber. There, the pests are numerous enough to emerge en masse, covering homes, roads, and lawns, resulting in damage ranging from cleanup of a slime-stains on walls to ruined lawnmower blades and car tires.

Authorities aren't sure how the snails came to be in the US, where they have thrived in part because they have no natural predators. Theories range from a Miami-based Santeria group who was using the snails in a religious ceremony - they got in trouble for doing so in 2010 - to contaminated leftovers from countries such as the Domincan Republic that were discarded stateside.

The snails are probably a bit big to be good escargot, so eating's out. Perhaps Disney can train them to use on a ride?