Apple Snails, (Pomacea canaliculata) were introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in 1989, probably from the Philippines. They are native to South America. The first apple snails were released in 1990 on Maui. It is globe-shaped and round with a dark brown to golden brown shell. Its soft body tissue ranges from creamy white, golden brown and dark brown in color.

The Apple Snails spend most of its time in water so the sun doesn't dry it out. In Hawaii, they are now found on Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Lanai, and the Big Island. They are able to spread very rapidly. Originally, they were found in taro lo`i (fields), but now they are in many other wetlands, ponds and streams.

The female lays 200-500 eggs in a cluster and will lay a cluster every week. The eggs are dark pink and turn light pink when it is ready to hatch. It takes 7-14 days for the egg to start hatching, and in three to four months after it hatches, it becomes an adult. Adults can live two to five years and are able to lay 5,000 eggs per year!

The apple snails are most active at night, moving from one taro patch to the next, leaving a path of destruction. Some of the studies show that they are voracious feeders on natural vegetation; they will not only eat taro plants but most aquatic plants. Surprisingly, they will not eat water hyacinth.