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64-546: Pilidae Ampullariidae , whose members are commonly known as apple snails , is a family of large freshwater snails that includes the mystery snail species. They are aquatic gastropod mollusks with a gill and an operculum . These snails simultaneously have a gill and a lung as functional respiratory structures, which are separated by a division of the mantle cavity . This adaptation allows these animals to be amphibious . Species in this family are considered gonochoristic , meaning that each individual organism

128-769: A flora of his homeland Sweden, Flora Svecica (1745), and in this, he recorded the Swedish common names, region by region, as well as the scientific names. The Swedish common names were all binomials (e.g. plant no. 84 Råg-losta and plant no. 85 Ren-losta); the vernacular binomial system thus preceded his scientific binomial system. Linnaean authority William T. Stearn said: By the introduction of his binomial system of nomenclature, Linnaeus gave plants and animals an essentially Latin nomenclature like vernacular nomenclature in style but linked to published, and hence relatively stable and verifiable, scientific concepts and thus suitable for international use. The geographic range over which

192-421: A lung (at the left side of the body) to respire air. This lung/gill combination expands the action radius of the snail in search for food. It is part of the snail's natural behaviour to leave the water when the food supply below the surface becomes inadequate. Several apple snail genera ( Pomacea , Pila and Asolene/Pomella ) deposit eggs above the waterline in calcareous clutches and can be recognized by

256-452: A close relationship with particularly the cranes, with the limpkin remaining as a family close to the cranes and the two being sister taxa to the trumpeters . Although the limpkin is the only extant species in the family today, several fossils of extinct Aramidae are known from across the Americas. The earliest known species, Aramus paludigrus , is dated to the middle Miocene , while

320-530: A common name as one that, although it unambiguously defines a chemical, does not follow the current systematic naming convention, such as acetone , systematically 2-propanone , while a vernacular name describes one used in a lab, trade or industry that does not unambiguously describe a single chemical, such as copper sulfate , which may refer to either copper(I) sulfate or copper(II) sulfate. Sometimes common names are created by authorities on one particular subject, in an attempt to make it possible for members of

384-439: A gait described as "slightly undulating" and "giving the impression of lameness or limping", "high-stepping", or "strolling", looking for food if the water is clear or probing with the bill. They do not associate with other birds in mixed-species feeding flocks , as do some other wading birds, but may forage in small groups with others of their species. The diet of the limpkin is dominated by apple snails ( Ampullariidae ) of

448-485: A particularly common name is used varies; some common names have a very local application, while others are virtually universal within a particular language. Some such names even apply across ranges of languages; the word for cat , for instance, is easily recognizable in most Germanic and many Romance languages . Many vernacular names, however, are restricted to a single country and colloquial names to local districts. Some languages also have more than one common name for

512-446: A snail and then feed it to the female. The clutch consists of three to eight eggs , with five to seven being typical and averaging 5.5, which measure 6.0 cm × 4.4 cm (2.4 in × 1.7 in). The egg color is highly variable. Their background color ranges from gray-white through buff to deep olive, and they are marked with light-brown and sometimes purplish-gray blotches and speckles. The eggs are laid daily until

576-409: A tweezers-like action in removing snails from their shells, and in many individuals the tip curves slightly to the right, like the apple snails ' shells. The white markings are slightly less conspicuous in first-year birds. Its wings are broad and rounded and its tail is short. It is often confused with the immature American white ibis . This bird is easier to hear than see. Its common vocalization

640-607: A valuable food source, the introduced snails escaped and became a serious threat to rice production and the native ecosystems. During the 1980s the introduced snails rapidly spread to Indonesia , Thailand , Cambodia , Hong Kong , southern China , Japan and the Philippines . Hawaii experienced the same introduction of Pomacea for culinary purposes, and its taro industry is now suffering because of it. Genera Marisa , Pila and Pomacea (except Pomacea diffusa and native Pomacea paludosa ) are already established in

704-597: Is a loud wild wail or scream with some rattling quality, represented as " kwEEEeeer or klAAAar ." This call is most often given at night and at dawn and dusk. Other calls include "wooden clicking", clucks, and in alarm, a "piercing bihk, bihk... ". The limpkin occurs from peninsular Florida (and the Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia ) and southern Mexico through the Caribbean and Central America to northern Argentina . In South America, it occurs widely east of

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768-621: Is a subspecies of apple snail known as Pomacea patula catemacensis Baker, 1922. This subspecies is endemic to Lake Catemaco . This large snail is locally known as " tegogolo " and is prized as a nutritious food item, with approximately 12 grams of protein per 100 grams of apple snail flesh according to the apple snail nutritional information . They are also low in fat and high in minerals and are considered an aphrodisiac . Only wild or specifically cultured apple snails are fit for human consumption; those found in domestic aquaria may be unsuitable. Common name In chemistry , IUPAC defines

832-761: Is about 27 days, and all the eggs hatch within 24 hours of each other. The young hatch covered with down , capable of walking, running, and swimming. They follow their parents to a platform of aquatic vegetation, where they are brooded. They are fed by both parents; they reach adult size at 7 weeks and leave their parents at about 16 weeks. Limpkins are reported to be attacked and eaten by American alligators . Also, adults with serious foot and leg injuries have been reported, suggesting they may have been attacked by turtles while standing on floating vegetation. Their nests are apparently preyed upon by snakes, raccoons , crows, and muskrats. Foraging adults may in times of drought be victims of kleptoparasitism by snail kites , and

896-465: Is between 18 and 28 °C (64 and 82 °F). Apple snails are more active and lively in the higher part of this temperature range. In these higher temperatures, the snails tend to eat, crawl and grow faster. At the lower end of the temperature range, 18 °C or 64 °F, the snails may become inactive. In the 1980s, Pomacea canaliculata was introduced in Taiwan to start an escargot industry. It

960-451: Is bigger, rounder and is more likely to eat aquatic plants, which makes it less suitable for most aquaria. This species can also have different shell and body colours. The "giant ramshorn snail" ( Marisa cornuarietis ) although not always recognized as an apple snail due to its discoidal shape, is also a popular aquatic pet. Occasionally, the Florida apple snail ( Pomacea paludosa ) is found in

1024-416: Is drab—dark brown with an olive luster above. The feathers of the head, neck, wing coverts, and much of the back and underparts (except the rear) are marked with white, making the body look streaked and the head and neck light gray. It has long, dark-gray legs and a long neck. Its bill is long, heavy, and downcurved, yellowish bill with a darker tip. The bill is slightly open near but not at the end to give it

1088-574: Is either male or female. Ampullariidae belongs to the superfamily Ampullarioidea , and is also its type family . It comprised two subfamilies according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005 , which followed the classification proposed by Berthold (1991), including Ampullariinae Gray, 1824, and Afropominae Berthold, 1991. The current classification accepted by WoRMS includes Ampullariinae and Pomaceinae Starobogatov, 1983. Ampullariidae are probably of Gondwanan origin, and

1152-461: Is in these remarks from a book on marine fish: In scientific binomial nomenclature, names commonly are derived from classical or modern Latin or Greek or Latinised forms of vernacular words or coinages; such names generally are difficult for laymen to learn, remember, and pronounce and so, in such books as field guides, biologists commonly publish lists of coined common names. Many examples of such common names simply are attempts to translate

1216-429: Is reflected in their life style; they are moderately amphibious. They have an operculum which enables the snail to seal the shell entrance to prevent drying out while they are buried in the mud during dry periods. One of the more typical adaptations of apple snails is branchial respiration . The snail has a system comparable to the gills of a fish (at the right side of the snail body) to breathe under water as well as

1280-650: Is the Cape dikkop (or "gewone dikkop", not to mention the presumably much older Zulu name "umBangaqhwa"); Burhinus vermiculatus is the "water dikkop". The thick joints in question are not even, in fact, the birds' knees, but the intertarsal joints —in lay terms the ankles. Furthermore, not all species in the genus have "thick knees", so the thickness of the "knees" of some species is not of clearly descriptive significance. The family Burhinidae has members that have various common names even in English, including " stone curlews ", so

1344-438: Is undertaken by the male initially, which constructs the nest in his territory prior to pair-bond formation. Unpaired females visit a number of territories before settling on a male with which to breed. Males may initially challenge and fight off prospective mates, and may not accept first-year females as mates. Pair-bond formation may take a few weeks. Courtship feeding is part of the bonding process, where males catch and process

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1408-577: The Andes ; west of them its range extends only to the Equator. It inhabits freshwater marshes and swamps , often with tall reeds , as well as mangroves . In the Caribbean, it also inhabits dry brushland. In Mexico and northern Central America, it occurs at altitudes up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft). In Florida, the distribution of apple snails is the best predictor of where limpkins can be found. The limpkin undertakes some localized migrations , although

1472-515: The ICZN has formal rules for biological nomenclature and convenes periodic international meetings to further that purpose. The form of scientific names for organisms, called binomial nomenclature , is superficially similar to the noun-adjective form of vernacular names or common names which were used by non-modern cultures. A collective name such as owl was made more precise by the addition of an adjective such as screech . Linnaeus himself published

1536-508: The diversification of Ampullariidae started probably after the separation of the African and South American continental plates . The sister group of Ampullariidae has not been clearly identified yet. A cladogram showing phylogenic relations of 6 genera belonging to Ampullariidae was proposed by Jørgensen and colleagues in 2008. Afropomus Pila Lanistes Saulea Marisa Pomacea There are nine extant genera in

1600-472: The family Aramidae. It is found mostly in wetlands in warm parts of the Americas , from Florida to northern Argentina, but has been spotted as far north as Wisconsin and Southern Ontario. It feeds on molluscs , with the diet dominated by apple snails of the genus Pomacea . Its name derives from its seeming limp when it walks. The limpkin is placed in the family Aramidae, which is in turn placed within

1664-447: The operculum or "lid" and extracts the snail, seldom breaking the shell. The extraction takes 10 to 20 seconds. The orange-yellow yolk gland of female snails is usually shaken loose and not eaten. It often leaves piles of empty shells at favored spots. Males have exclusive territories , which can vary in size from 0.15 to 4.0 ha (0.37 to 9.88 acres). In large, uniform swamps, nesting territories can often be clumped together, in

1728-619: The Hebrew Language publish from time to time short dictionaries of common name in Hebrew for species that occur in Israel or surrounding countries e.g. for Reptilia in 1938, Osteichthyes in 2012, and Odonata in 2015. Limpkin The limpkin ( Aramus guarauna ), also called carrao , courlan , and crying bird , is a large wading bird related to rails and cranes , and the only extant species in

1792-683: The SSAR switched to an online version with a searchable database. Standardized names for the amphibians and reptiles of Mexico in Spanish and English were first published in 1994, with a revised and updated list published in 2008. A set of guidelines for the creation of English names for birds was published in The Auk in 1978. It gave rise to Birds of the World: Recommended English Names and its Spanish and French companions. The Academy of

1856-524: The Secretariat for the AFNC. SSA is an accredited Standards Australia (Australia's peak non-government standards development organisation) Standards Development The Entomological Society of America maintains a database of official common names of insects, and proposals for new entries must be submitted and reviewed by a formal committee before being added to the listing. Efforts to standardize English names for

1920-652: The US, and are considered to represent a potentially serious threat as a pest which could negatively affect agriculture, human health or commerce. Therefore, it has been suggested that these genera be given top national quarantine significance in the US. Nevertheless, apple snails are considered a delicacy in several regions of the world, and they are often sold in East and Pacific Asian markets for consumption. Pomacea and Marisa species have been introduced to Africa and Asia in an attempt to control other medically problematic snails in

1984-501: The amphibians and reptiles of North America (north of Mexico) began in the mid-1950s. The dynamic nature of taxonomy necessitates periodical updates and changes in the nomenclature of both scientific and common names. The Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR) published an updated list in 1978, largely following the previous established examples, and subsequently published eight revised editions ending in 2017. More recently

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2048-514: The aquarium trade and these are often collected in the wild from ditches and ponds in Florida. The giant Pomacea maculata is rarely used as an aquarium species. Apple snails are often sold under the name "golden (ivory, blue, black...) mystery snail" and they are given incorrect names like Ampullarius for the genus instead of Pomacea and wrong species names like gigas instead of maculata . The optimal aquarium water temperature for apple snails

2112-413: The attempted theft of apple snails caught by limpkins has also been observed in boat-tailed grackles . Limpkins in Florida were examined for parasites, which included trematodes , nematodes , and biting lice . Two biting lice species were found, Laemobothrion cubense and Rallicola funebris . The trematode Prionosoma serratum was found in the intestines of some birds; this species may enter

2176-509: The author introduced into it so many new English names, that are to be found in no dictionary, and that do not preclude the necessity of learning with what Latin names they are synonymous. A tolerable idea may be given of the danger of too great a multiplicity of vulgar names, by imagining what geography would be, or, for instance, the Post-office administration, supposing every town had a totally different name in every language. Various bodies and

2240-493: The authors of many technical and semi-technical books do not simply adapt existing common names for various organisms; they try to coin (and put into common use) comprehensive, useful, authoritative, and standardised lists of new names. The purpose typically is: Other attempts to reconcile differences between widely separated regions, traditions, and languages, by arbitrarily imposing nomenclature, often reflect narrow perspectives and have unfortunate outcomes. For example, members of

2304-430: The biggest living freshwater snails on Earth. The most common apple snail in aquarium shops are Pomacea bridgesii and Pomacea diffusa , (both called mystery snails or spike-topped apple snails , among other things). These species come in different colours from brown to albino or yellow and even blue, purple, pink, and jade, with or without banding. Another common apple snail is Pomacea canaliculata ; this snail

2368-599: The bird after first infecting apple snails (this has been shown to be the route of infection for a closely related trematode to infect snail kites). Nematodes Amidostomum acutum and Strongyloides spp. are also ingested and live in the gut. Many of the limpkin's names across its range are onomatopoeic and reflect the bird's call; for example, carau in Argentina, carrao in Venezuela, and guareáo in Cuba. The species also has

2432-733: The breeding site. This tendency may explain vagrant limpkins seen in other parts of the United States and at sea near the Bahamas. Limpkins are active during the day, but also forage at night. Where they are not persecuted, they are also very tame and approachable. Even so, they are usually found near cover. They are not aggressive for the most part, being unconcerned by other species and rarely fighting with members of their own species. Because of their long toes, they can stand on floating water plants. They also swim well, both as adults or as newly hatched chicks, but they seldom do so. They fly strongly,

2496-408: The choice of the name "thick-knees" is not easy to defend but is a clear illustration of the hazards of the facile coinage of terminology. For collective nouns for various subjects, see a list of collective nouns (e.g. a flock of sheep, pack of wolves). Some organizations have created official lists of common names, or guidelines for creating common names, hoping to standardize

2560-430: The clutch is complete, and incubation is usually delayed until the clutch is completed. Both parents incubate the eggs during the day, but only the female incubates at night. The shift length is variable, but the male incubates for longer during the day. The male remains territorial during incubation, and leaves the clutch to chase off intruders; if this happens, the female returns quickly to the eggs. The incubation period

2624-569: The crane and rail order Gruiformes . The limpkin had been suggested to be close to the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae , based upon shared bird lice . The Sibley–Ahlquist taxonomy of birds , based upon DNA–DNA hybridization , suggested that the limpkin's closest relatives were the Heliornithidae finfoots, and Sibley and Monroe even placed the species in that family in 1990. More recent studies have found little support for this relationship. More recent DNA studies have confirmed

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2688-647: The cranes evolved into long-legged forms to walk and probe on open grasslands. Between 1856 and 1934, the limpkin was treated as two species, one in South America ( Aramus guarauna ) and the other found in Central America, the Caribbean, and Florida ( Aramus pictus ). Today, it is treated as a single species with four subspecies. Along with the nominate subspecies A. g. guarauna , A. g. dolosus , A. g. elucus (both J. L. Peters , 1925), and A. g. pictus ( F. A. A. Meyer , 1794) are recognized. The difference between

2752-427: The cranes. It shares many morphological features with the cranes and limpkins, but also was much smaller than either group, and was more rail-like in its proportions. In the paper describing the fossil, Gerald Mayr suggested that it was similar to the stem species of the grues (the cranes and limpkins), and that the limpkins evolved massively long bills as a result of the specialisation to feeding on snails. In contrast,

2816-677: The extent of these is not fully understood. In some parts in the northern part of the range, females (and a few males) leave the breeding areas at the end of summer, returning at the end of winter. In Brazil, birds breeding in some seasonal marshes leave during the dry season and return again with the rains. Birds may also migrate between Florida and Cuba, as several limpkins on the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas have been reported, but these records may also represent vagrants or postbreeding dispersal. One study in Florida using wing tags found limpkins dispersed up to 325 km (202 mi) away from

2880-676: The family Ampullariidae: Afropominae The genera Asolene , Felipponea , Marisa , and Pomacea are New World genera that are native to South America, Central America, the West Indies and the Southern United States. The genera Afropomus , Lanistes , and Saulea are found in Africa. The genus Pila is native to both Africa and Asia. Apple snails are exceptionally well adapted to tropical regions characterized by periods of drought alternating with periods of high rainfall. This adaptation

2944-453: The family Planorbidae: Bulinus species and Biomphalaria species, which serve as intermediate hosts for trematoda parasites . These parasites can cause swimmers itch and schistosomiasis , a disease that affects over 200 million people in tropical regions. One of the species introduced as bio-agent is Marisa cornuarietis ; this snail competes with other snails and also directly preys on other species. In Veracruz , Mexico , there

3008-455: The form of large colonies . These are vigorously defended, with males flying to the territory edges to challenge intruders and passing limpkins being chased out of the territory. Territorial displays between males at boundaries include ritualized charging and wing-flapping. Females may also participate in territorial defense, but usually only against other females or juveniles. Territories may be maintained year-round or abandoned temporarily during

3072-464: The general public (including such interested parties as fishermen, farmers, etc.) to be able to refer to one particular species of organism without needing to be able to memorise or pronounce the scientific name. Creating an "official" list of common names can also be an attempt to standardize the use of common names, which can sometimes vary a great deal between one part of a country and another, as well as between one country and another country, even where

3136-517: The genus Burhinus occur in Australia, Southern Africa, Eurasia, and South America. A recent trend in field manuals and bird lists is to use the name " thick-knee " for members of the genus. This, in spite of the fact that the majority of the species occur in non-English-speaking regions and have various common names, not always English. For example, "Dikkop" is the centuries-old South African vernacular name for their two local species: Burhinus capensis

3200-656: The genus Pomacea . The availability of this one mollusk has a significant effect on the local distribution of the limpkin. Freshwater mussels , including Anodonta cowperiana , Villosa vibex , Elliptio strigosus , E. jayensis , and Uniomerus obesus , as well as other kinds of snails, are a secondary food sources. Less important prey items are insects , frogs , lizards , crustaceans (such as crayfish ) and worms , as well as seeds . These prey items may be important in periods of drought or flooding when birds may be pushed into less than optimal foraging areas. In one site in Florida, moon snails and mussels were

3264-519: The light pink color they resemble. This remarkable strategy of aquatic snails protects the eggs against predation by fish and other aquatic inhabitants. Another anti-predator adaptation in the apple snail genera Pomacea and Pila , is the tubular siphon , used to breathe air while submerged, reducing vulnerability to attacking birds. The apple snail's usual enemies are the birds limpkin and snail kite . Apple snails inhabit various ecosystems : ponds, swamps and rivers. Although they occasionally leave

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3328-706: The modern (now binding) International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants contains the following: Art. 68. Every friend of science ought to be opposed to the introduction into a modern language of names of plants that are not already there unless they are derived from a Latin botanical name that has undergone but a slight alteration. ... ought the fabrication of names termed vulgar names, totally different from Latin ones, to be proscribed. The public to whom they are addressed derives no advantage from them because they are novelties. Lindley's work, The Vegetable Kingdom, would have been better relished in England had not

3392-412: The most important prey items. Two studies, both in Florida, have looked at the percentage composition of the diet of limpkins. One, looking at stomach contents, found 70% Pomacea apple snails, 3% Campeloma , and 27% unidentified mollusc, probably Pomacea . When a limpkin finds an apple snail, it carries it to land or very shallow water and places it in mud, the opening facing up. It deftly removes

3456-410: The neck projecting forward and the legs backward, the wings beating shallowly and stiffly, with a jerky upstroke, above the horizontal most of the time. Limpkins forage primarily in shallow water and on floating vegetation such as water hyacinth and water lettuce . When wading, they seldom go deeper than having half the body underwater, and never are submerged up to the back. They walk slowly with

3520-553: The nonbreeding season, usually due to lack of food. Limpkins may be either monogamous , with females joining a male's territory, or serially polyandrous , with two or more females joining a male. With the monogamous pairs, banding studies have shown that a small number of pairs reform the following year (four out of 18 pairs). Nests may be built in a wide variety of places – on the ground, in dense floating vegetation, in bushes, or at any height in trees. They are bulky structures of rushes , sticks, or other materials. Nest building

3584-413: The oldest supposed members of the family, Aminornis and Loncornis , have been found in early Oligocene deposits in Argentina, although whether these are indeed related is not certain; in fact, Loncornis seems to be a misidentified mammal bone. Another Oligocene fossil from Europe, Parvigrus pohli (family Parvigruidae ), has been described as a mosaic of the features shared by the limpkins and

3648-484: The same animal. For example, in Irish, there are many terms that are considered outdated but still well-known for their somewhat humorous and poetic descriptions of animals. w/ literal translations of the poetic terms Common names are used in the writings of both professionals and laymen . Lay people sometimes object to the use of scientific names over common names, but the use of scientific names can be defended, as it

3712-576: The same language is spoken in both places. A common name intrinsically plays a part in a classification of objects, typically an incomplete and informal classification, in which some names are degenerate examples in that they are unique and lack reference to any other name, as is the case with say, ginkgo , okapi , and ratel . Folk taxonomy , which is a classification of objects using common names, has no formal rules and need not be consistent or logical in its assignment of names, so that say, not all flies are called flies (for example Braulidae ,

3776-402: The scientific name into English or some other vernacular. Such translation may be confusing in itself, or confusingly inaccurate, for example, gratiosus does not mean "gracile" and gracilis does not mean "graceful". The practice of coining common names has long been discouraged; de Candolle's Laws of Botanical Nomenclature , 1868, the non-binding recommendations that form the basis of

3840-407: The so-called "bee lice") and not every animal called a fly is indeed a fly (such as dragonflies and mayflies ). In contrast, scientific or biological nomenclature is a global system that attempts to denote particular organisms or taxa uniquely and definitively , on the assumption that such organisms or taxa are well-defined and generally also have well-defined interrelationships; accordingly

3904-413: The subspecies are related to slight differences in size and plumage. The limpkin is a somewhat large bird, 64–73 cm (25–29 in) long, with a wingspan of 101–107 cm (40–42 in). Body mass ranges from 900 to 1,300 g (2.0 to 2.9 lb), averaging 1,080 g (2.38 lb). The males are slightly larger than the females in size, but no difference in plumage is seen. Its plumage

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3968-800: The use of common names. For example, the Australian Fish Names List or AFNS was compiled through a process involving work by taxonomic and seafood industry experts, drafted using the CAAB (Codes for Australian Aquatic Biota) taxon management system of the CSIRO , and including input through public and industry consultations by the Australian Fish Names Committee (AFNC). The AFNS has been an official Australian Standard since July 2007 and has existed in draft form (The Australian Fish Names List) since 2001. Seafood Services Australia (SSA) serve as

4032-408: The water, they spend most of their time under water. Unlike the pulmonate snail families, apple snails are not hermaphroditic , but gonochoristic ; i.e. they have separate sexes. Apple snails are popular aquarium pets because of their attractive appearance and size. When properly cared for, some apple snail species can reach 15 cm (5.9 in) diameter. Apple snails include species that are

4096-459: Was thought that such food culture could provide valuable proteins for farmers, who primarily live on a rice diet. However, the snails did not become a culinary success. Additionally the imported snails (like the native apple snail population, Pila ) were able to transfer a parasite called Angiostrongylus cantonensis (rat lungworm). This parasite can infect humans if snails are eaten that have not been thoroughly cooked first. Instead of becoming

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