A popular aquarium snail, the apple snail, was introduced into one of the ponds at Langan Park in Mobile, Alabama, by an aquarium owner who dumped the aquarium into the water. These snails, native to Central and South America, can grow up to 6 inches and eat aquatic plants, which can disrupt the ecosystem of these ponds.
The snails have been in Mobile for more than two years, and they may spread to the Mobile Tensaw Delta if they’re not controlled. On October 3, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed as many snail eggs as they could, then treated the ponds with copper sulfate to kill the adult snails. The treatment cannot hurt any birds or turtles, but it could affect some fish. If it does, the Department of Conservation is prepared to restock the ponds. (Lombard, C. and Jernigan, M. “Giant snails in Mobile.” Fox10tv.com.)