Giant invasive apple snails are on the rise at a local river once again, reported My San Antonio. According to the San Antonio River Authority, the warming weather is to blame.
The invasive snails were first discovered in the the San Antonio River back in 2019, and they are considered to be "highly destructive." The snails are voracious eaters of aquatic plants. Whenever they get hungry, they eat the plants that are essential to the survival of native organisms. They also have tons of babies, laying anywhere from 500 to 1000 eggs per week.
The San Antonio River Authority wrote on Instagram, "The apple snails are back! Well, they technically never went away. Now that the weather is warming up, observations of this invasive species are on the rise again."
The apple snails are native to South America and were likely released in the San Antonio River by the public. They're usually sold at pet stores.
The San Antonio River Authority believes that pet owners dump their aquariums into the river after the snails get too big to manage. Fully mature apple snails can grow up to six inches in diameter.