Andhra Pradesh: Large snail washes up on river bank, sold for Rs18,000

An unusually large sea snail was found on the banks of a river in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. It was reported that the snail fetched Rs 18,000 at an auction.

The snail was identified as Syrinx Aruanus – a species of snail that is one of the world’s largest across both land and water. It can grow up to 70 cm in length and weigh up to 18 kg. Popularly known as Australian trumpet or false trumpet, these carnivorous snails are vulnerable to local extinction as their shells are popular ornaments.

The news agency ANI in a tweet said, “The orange-colored snail was found on the river bank.”

Following cyclones and storms, these snails get washed up to the shore.

One of the Twitter users pointed out that the weird name of the species, saying it sounded similar to “Horcrux”, a magical object shown in the movie Harry Potter.