外媒記者在台灣驚見巨大蝸牛 熱心網友翻出台灣歷史解惑

【看CP學英文】台灣境內有許多可愛的動物，有大有小，其中有些是本土生長的，另一些則是外來引入的物種。

There are many cute creatures in Taiwan, big and small, though some are native to the land while others are not.

一位《澳洲人報》的外籍記者近期在台北街頭驚見這麼一種生物，而「牠」緩慢的速度和巨大的身型也讓這位記者看傻眼。

A foreign media correspondent from The Australian recently came across such a creature in the streets of Taipei, though its slow pace compared with its gigantic size shocked the expat.

Will Glasgow (威爾) 在推特上分享自己在大安森林公園散步時驚見一隻巨無霸大蝸牛，依照貼文的時間判斷，這隻蝸牛應該恰巧在璨樹颱風掃過台灣後決定出來散步透透氣。

In a tweet shared by Will Glasgow, he recounted his encounter with a giant snail in Daan Park seemingly on the evening after Typhoon Chanthu’s (璨樹) visit.

為了更凸顯蝸牛的大小，威爾甚至將自己的鞋子脫掉做為比對，並詢問網友「在台灣的蝸牛都這麼大隻嗎？」

To better explain the size of the snail, Glasgow even took off his shoe as a comparison to the snail, asking social media users whether “all Taiwanese snails [are] enormous.”

雖然有些網友開玩笑地回覆可能威爾有比一般人小的腳丫子，也有人認真解答，表示這種蝸牛品種應為「非洲大蝸牛」。

While some poked fun in the replies, claiming that it could be because of his feet’s relative “tiny” size, others pointed out that it is likely an African Giant Snail.

熱心的網友更深入的挖掘台灣歷史，指出這些外來種其實在台灣的街頭算是蠻常見的。

Enthusiastic social media users dug deeper into the history of Taiwan to explain why it’s actually quite common to see these giant snails in the streets of Taiwan.

根據台視新聞報導，約80年前，日本人在台殖民期間為了食用蝸牛，將這些蝸牛引進台灣。

According to local Chinese-language media, the Japanese introduced the species into Taiwan during its colonization period almost 80 years ago to eat them.

然而，牠們繁殖的速度卻遠大於大家食用的速度，導致這外來種開始影響台灣自然生態系。

However, they began breeding faster than people could eat, leading to the exotic species’ invasion of Taiwan’s natural ecosystem.

這些蝸牛一般可長到7、8公分，最長甚至可達20公分左右。

The snails normally grow up to 7-8 centimeters, though extreme size could reach 20 centimeters.

中央研究院資料顯示這些蝸牛為雜食性，因為非常喜歡潮濕的地段，特別愛在下雨時或夜間出來遊蕩。

Data from Academia Sinica indicates that the snails are omnivorous and love damp and marshy areas, meaning that they love to roam about at night or when it’s raining.

如今，牠們仍在傳統市場被販售，不過攤販老闆會建議先將蝸牛以熱水燙過後再將牠們從殼中挖出來給客人，以免有寄生蟲殘留在蝸牛體內。

Nowadays, they are still being sold as food in traditional markets. However, stall owners advise boiling them and extracting the meat from the shell before selling them to customers to ensure no parasites remain.

由於非洲大蝸牛在台灣無天敵，至今可在台灣各地看見牠們。保育專家也特別跳出來建議農民若希望避免牠們在自己的田地中大量繁殖，應維持環境清潔以免牠們將其視為新家基地。

Owing to having no natural enemies in Taiwan, the snails can now be found in all parts of the island, with ecological conservationists advising farmers to clear their vegetable patches from time to time to reduce the number of snails deeming it a suitable habitat.

更多 ChinaPost 新聞
15日萬安演習警局推6國語言宣導！盼外籍人士注意 | Here’s what to know about Wan’an Air Raid Drill on Wednesday
加拿大網紅拍片讚台灣 誇頂尖永續發展農業新技術 | Canadian YouTuber applauds Taiwan’s new sustainable agricultural technology
影／台灣防疫居台外國人怎麼看？他們齊喊：非常安全 | Foreigners in Taiwan thankful of living here amid pandemic