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Giant South American Snail (Megalobulimus popelairianus)

Megalobulimus popelairianus

The Megalobulimus popelairianus (Giant South American Snail or Megalo). It is the South American equivalent of the colossal African Achatinas, but boasts a completely alien and primitive charm and anatomy. Of enormous size (the massive shell can reach 6 inches and is notably wide and heavy), it is distinguished by a brownish-pink shell with a characteristic and thickened everted 'lip' (often of a bright coral pink or fuchsia color in adults). The real peculiarity, however, is its soft body: the gray mollusk is unusually wide, very wrinkled and presents a pair of enormously developed labial tentacles bifurcated in the shape of flabby tactile 'mustaches', giving it the appearance of a wise extraterrestrial walrus. Very rare in captivity and extremely long-lived (over 15 years), they lay very few gigantic calcareous eggs (as big as pigeon or small chicken eggs). Compared to Africans, they are less ravenous for fresh vegetables and require heavily decomposing substrates, barks and organic molds in a strictly and moistly Amazonian tub.

Taxonomy
Class:Gastropoda
Order:Stylommatophora
Family:Strophocheilidae
Subfamily:Megalobuliminae
Genus:Megalobulimus
Species:Megalobulimus popelairianus

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Environment

Terrestrial

Humidity

70 - 90 %

Day temperature

20 - 26 °C

Night temperature

18 - 22 °C

UVB

None

Species description

Geographic Origin and Habitat: This recovery makes no geographic-origin or habitat statement.
Taxonomy and Genetics: The GBIF taxon page identifies Megalobulimus popelairianus (Nyst, 1845) as an accepted species and lists Bulimus popelairianus Nyst, 1845 as the original name usage. This recovery makes no genetic statement beyond those cited taxonomic facts.
Behaviour and Habits: This recovery makes no behavioural statement beyond the cited facts.
Morphology and Sexual Dimorphism: This recovery makes no morphological or sex-comparison statement beyond the cited facts.

Care, breeding and tankmates

Terrarium Setup: Guidance about terrarium setup for Megalobulimus popelairianus must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Lighting and Heating: Guidance about lighting and heating for Megalobulimus popelairianus must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Humidity and Hydration: Guidance about humidity and hydration for Megalobulimus popelairianus must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Feeding and Supplementation: Guidance about feeding and supplementation for Megalobulimus popelairianus must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Compatibility and Coexistence: Guidance about compatibility and coexistence for Megalobulimus popelairianus must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Health and Common Diseases: Guidance about health and common diseases for Megalobulimus popelairianus must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

This species originates from: Sud America (Foreste primarie amazzoniche, boscaglie tropicali dense ed estuari umidi in Brasile, Perù, Colombia).

Origin

Amazon, Orinoco, and GuianasAfrica and Madagascar

Terrestrial invertebrate profile

Diet
No verified data available
Life expectancy
No verified data available
Adult size
15.5 cm
The catalog's scalar value is 15.5 cm. The Manual of Conchology — Megalobulimus popelairianus source reports a maximum adult measurement of 15.5 cm for this species, recorded as shell height. The taxonomic record consulted is Megalobulimus popelairianus. These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
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.

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Last updated: 08/10/2026
Giant South American Snail (Megalobulimus popelairianus) Care Guide & Terrarium Setup | Atlarium