Giant African land snails have invaded a town in Florida!

Giant African land snails have invaded a town in Florida in the United States.

They are big, they are slimly and they are causing a lot of trouble.

There have been over 1,000 snails reported in over 20 houses across a town in Florida called Tampa.

After reports of some big snails being spotted, the Florida Department of Agriculture investigated and found that the pests were actually giant African land snails.

These particular snails are extremely destructive and are illegal to keep or transport in America.

They eat over 500 different types of plants and will even eat the plaster off a building!

In short, these guys are pests.

They can lay up to 2,500 eggs a year and grow up to 20 cm long!

The Florida Department of Agriculture is not taking this lightly and have placed the affected area under quarantine.

Sometimes, not always, these snails can carry a parasite known as rat lungworm which can cause meningitis in humans.

That's why the advice is to wear gloves when handling them and make sure you wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.

The areas in which the snails were found will be monitored for 18 months.