Am I unusually large? :)

[mistyanita]

Hello! My name is snail...



My human always read that White Jades only grow to be 5-7cm in shell length (a lot amaller than normal fulicas) but I am almost 11cm. Just curious about whether I am a very giant african land snail

Thanks a lot!

[xxstimpzxx]

I just have to say it, I love this picture!!

[ade2009]

i believe you will find the reason most "jade" snails are so small is because of the large amount of inbreeding that occurs by people who sell them .
So if we took it at that, it means your snail could still grow quite a bit and that other jade snails would do well to follow the same example ;D

By the way it is a great photo and a wonderful looking snail.

Ade

[copigeon]

I'd have to disagree with the misconception that Jade snails are signifigantly smaller than any other fulica subspecies/hybrid.
When the jades were first imported, they were aquired from a breeding line of meat snails. They are reared intensively to produce white snail meat for consumption.
The result of mass production (any intensive system) where food/space is not adequate is poor shell rate of growth.
The jade strain seems very susceptable to that poor rate of growth when conditions are not ideal, where as good, selectively bred strains of fulica are much more resilient to the stunting.
Meat snails are selectively bred for the flesh, to a degree, not shell quality/shape/size. Considering that the foot is the primary source of meat and not the rest of the body.
My first generation cb from the original imports have obtained the same size I would expect from a cb standard fulica. Non selective production for overall health may have reduced the overall size of shell compared to the w/c fulica available, but this is no different than cb standard fulica.

To improve on the Jade line, people must be selective and cull sickly/slow growing and stunted offspring. But it wont happen.
Inbreeding has very little to do with it. Inbreeding becomes an issue when people arnt selective about keeping sickly, and weak offspring.

**Of course, opinion based on experience with regards to inbreeding there are lots of different camps

You do seem to have a nice healthy adult snail, well done.

[mistyanita]

Thanks for clearing that up for me guys I have always wondered...

Oh and snail blushes from the wonderful compliments ;D

[snailcrazy]

I've had jades that have been a good 4" in size. He's a very lovely snail.

[coyote]

That is one beautiful snail.