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Giant West African Snail (Archachatina marginata)

Archachatina marginata

The Archachatina marginata (Giant West African Snail or Margie). It is one of the three great African terrarium snails, beloved by enthusiasts for its peculiar roundness. Unlike the pointed Lissachatina fulica, the 'Margie' possesses a much more rounded, voluminous shell with a characteristic dome-shaped, blunt (never pointed) tip (apex). It is slightly less prolific than the fulica (it lays much larger oval eggs but in fewer numbers, about 10-20 at a time), making it marginally easier to manage for birth control. The foot (the soft body) often presents a magnificent 'snake-skin' (reticulated) texture and a typical raised V-shaped organ on the tail. They are calm snails, aesthetically impressive (up to 6-7 inches of dark zig-zag striped shell) and endowed with a fierce appetite for vegetables and calcium sources.

Taxonomy

Class:Gastropoda

Order:Stylommatophora

Family:Achatinidae

Subfamily:Achatininae

Genus:Archachatina

Species:Archachatina marginata

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Environment

Terrestrial

Humidity

70 - 80 %

Day temperature

25 - 28 °C

Night temperature

22 - 25 °C

UVB

None

Species description

Geographic Origin and Habitat: USDA APHIS reports the original distribution of Archachatina marginata as West Africa, from Benin to the Republic of Congo, including São Tomé and Bioko. This identification sheet does not provide a general captive-habitat prescription.

Taxonomy and Genetics: USDA APHIS identifies the species as Archachatina marginata (Swainson, 1821) and lists Achatininae, Achatinidae, Pulmonata, Gastropoda and Mollusca under its systematics.

Behaviour and Habits: USDA APHIS states that very little is known of the life history. It reports that each hermaphroditic snail can lay a typical clutch of 4–5 large eggs; this does not establish an expected captive reproductive outcome.

Morphology and Sexual Dimorphism: The APHIS identification sheet reports a height of up to 21 cm (over 8 inches). It does not provide a general account of sexual dimorphism.

Care, breeding and tankmates

Terrarium Setup: The USDA APHIS identification sheet used here does not describe a terrarium setup. No enclosure specification is inferred from its distributional or pest-significance information.

Lighting and Heating: This source provides no lighting or temperature protocol; none is inferred.

Humidity and Hydration: This source provides no humidity or hydration protocol; none is inferred.

Feeding and Supplementation: USDA APHIS characterizes Archachatina marginata as a generalist phytophagous gastropod that is not host-specific, and reports banana, lettuce and papaya among affected crops in Nigeria. These are pest-significance observations, not a captive feeding or supplementation plan.

Compatibility and Coexistence: This source does not evaluate cohabitation or compatibility; no conclusion is drawn.

Health and Common Diseases: USDA APHIS states that the Banana Rasp Snail is potentially an intermediate vector of rat lungworm, Angiostrongylus cantonensis. This is a public-health statement from the source, not a diagnosis of any individual snail.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

This species originates from: Africa Occidentale (Foreste tropicali dense, paludi e umidi sottoboschi in Nigeria, Camerun, Congo).

Origin

Africa and Madagascar

Terrestrial invertebrate profile

Diet: No verified data available
Life expectancy: No verified data available
Adult size: 21 cm
Lifestyle/Microhabitat: No verified data available
Activity cycle: No verified data available
Sociality: No verified data available
Reproduction: No verified data available
Venom level: No verified data available
Handling tolerance: No verified data available
Brumation: No verified data available
Molting: No verified data available

Image gallery

Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.

Related species

Recommendations grouped by close relatives, companion choices, and similar care.

Variants and close relatives

Same atlas type, nearby scientific identity, genus, or family.

Recommended companions

Compatible cards from coherent ecosystems with matching parameters.

Similar care

Cards with similar requirements, difficulty, habitat, and husbandry profile.

Species description

Care, breeding and tankmates

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Origin

Terrestrial invertebrate profile

Image gallery

Related species

Variants and close relatives

Giant African Land Snail (Lissachatina fulica) (Jadatzi)

Giant African Land Snail (Lissachatina fulica) (White Jade)

Giant African Land Snail (Lissachatina fulica)

Giant African Land Snail (Lissachatina fulica)

Recommended companions

Tomato Frog

Argentine Horned Frog

Mitchell's Reed Frog

Edible Bullfrog

Similar care

Emperor Scorpion

Giant African Millipede

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

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