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Rosy Wolf Snail

Euglandina rosea[3]

The rosy wolf snail is a large, pinkish-brown land snail that preys on other snails and slugs.[1][2]

Group
Mollusk
Order
Stylommatophora
Family
Spiraxidae
US records
9 states
Sources
3 cited
Updated
2026-10-16
Rosy wolf snail with a long pinkish-brown shell gliding on concrete
Rosy wolf snail with a long pinkish-brown shell gliding on concrete. (c) Tedd Greenwald, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Look-alikes
  3. Where it lives
  4. Biology
  5. Damage and signs
  6. Health risk
  7. Control
  8. Related profiles
  9. Common questions
  10. Sources

How to identify it

  • The long, spindle-shaped shell is light brown, reddish brown, pinkish or grayish and reaches up to about 3 inches; the stretched-out body can reach about 4 inches.[1][2]
  • The upper tentacles are about three times longer than the short lower ones, and two lip-like lappets help it follow prey slime trails.[1]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Decollate snailAnother predatory snail, used in California against brown garden snails; its pinkish-brown shell loses its upper whorls as it grows.[2]

Where it lives

Native to tropical North America; in the US recorded from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, southeastern Texas and, as an introduced species, Hawaii.[1][2]

US map: public records from 9 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Individuals live up to 24 months, and adults lay 25 to 35 eggs in a shallow pocket of soil that hatch in 30 to 40 days.[2]

It sometimes burrows under mulch and boards, follows prey into water, and gathers in small numbers to mate after rain.[1]

Damage and signs

  • No garden damage: it eats plant-feeding snails and slugs, and even other rosy wolf snails.[1]
  • Released in Hawaii to fight giant African snails, it failed and caused many native snail species to go extinct; it is considered invasive there.[1][2]

Health risk

None to people or pets.[1][2]

Control

Biological control

No control is needed in gardens, where it eats slugs and snails, unless native snails need protecting.[1]

Common questions

Is the big pink snail in my garden a pest?
A rosy wolf snail is a predator of other snails and slugs.[1][2]
Why is it a problem in Hawaii?
It was introduced there and drove many native snails extinct.[1][2]

Sources

  1. NC State Extension, “Rosy Wolf Snail (PDIC Factsheet).” content.ces.ncsu.edu/rosey-wolf-snail (accessed 2026-10-16)
  2. University of Florida IFAS Extension (EDIS, Featured Creatures), “Snail-Eating Snails of Florida (EENY-251).” ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN523 (accessed 2026-10-16)
  3. iNaturalist, “Euglandina rosea taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/121012 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-16. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.