时差N小时:入侵非洲大陆的蜗牛

Like many midwesterners, it turns out that giantAfrican landsnails really love Florida.

体型巨大的非洲陆生蜗牛同许多生活在中西部地区的动物一样大爱美国弗罗里达州。

Unfortunately, giant African Land Snails are some ofthe world's most destructive snails.

但不幸的是，他们的破坏性在世界上数一数二。

They cangrow to be eight inches long-as big as rats-and to weigh more than one pound.

他们有8英寸长，和老鼠一般大小，重达一磅还多。

They're sohuge, in fact, that their shells have beenknown to blow out tires.

他们是那样的大，事实上，他们的壳能扎破轮胎，这一点远近闻名。

The real trouble is that these snails reproduce very quickly.

真正的麻烦在于这种蜗牛繁衍速度极快。

Under optimal conditions-such aswarm, tropical Florida-one snail can lay up to a thousand or soeggs a year.

真正的麻烦在于这种蜗牛繁衍速度极快。

And these snails'typical life span is three to five years, with some living as long as nine years.

而一般这种蜗牛的寿命是3到5年，一些甚至可以存活9年之久。

Unlike most snails, giant African land snails don't just eat decaying organic matter or leafmolds;they eat the plants themselves, so they pose a huge threat to agriculture, one ofFlorida's mainindustries.

同大多数蜗牛不同，这种蜗牛不吃腐败的有机质食物，也不吃叶霉。他们吃植物本身，如此一来，对主要产业为农业的弗罗里达州来说，他们会构成巨大的威胁。

What's more, they're not picky.

此外，他们可一点也不挑食。

They eat over five hundred species of plants, and somehave even been known to chewthrough stucco and plastic containers.

他们的食物涵盖500多种植物，据说有些蜗牛甚至还啃食石灰泥和塑料袋。

And for your health.

蜗牛对人类的健康也有害。

Some of these snails can carry diseases such as a parasitic rat lungworm thatcan causemeningitis in humans.

一些蜗牛会携带具有寄生性的大鼠肺丝虫和其他疾病，导致人类患上脑膜炎。

So if you see a giant African land snail in your yard, don't touch itor kill it yourself.

因此，你要是在自家的庭院看到一个巨大的非洲蜗牛，珍爱生命，千万别碰。

Instead, call your local authorities or department of agriculture so that they can dispose of thesnail and its nesting materials safely.

你要做的是打电话请地方当局或农业部门来安全地处理它们及它们筑巢的材料。