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Invasive giant snails found in Katy community

Texas Parks and Wildlife lists the species as one of the most unwanted animals in the state.

KATY, Texas — An invasive and aggressive species of snail has popped up in the Tamarron community in Katy.

They’re called channeled apple snails or Pomacea canaliculata. The Texas Invasive Species Institutes said their bodies can be 6 centimeters wide to 8 centimeters tall with the shell extending up to 15 centimeters. You can compare that to the size of a large apple, hence the name.

They are found in slow-moving streams, ponds and lakes.

Apple snails are native to South America but started popping up in Texas in the '90s. They can do serious damage to an ecosystem and reproduce quickly. Their eggs are easy to recognize as they are bright reddish-pink globs in groupings of 200 to 600.

Texas Parks and Wildlife lists the snails as one of the most unwanted animals in the state and urges people to report them if they’re found.

The person who posted about the snails on social media said in the morning, thousands of the snails are visible at once. He also said he alerted the state, and they will be taken care of.

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