Evaluation Of The Performance Of Snail Marketing: A Case Study Of Umuahia North And Umuahia South In Abia State, Nigeria.

ABSTRACT

Snails are members of the phylum moliusca, they represent a large and varied group of shelled gastropoc! mollusks in the class gastropocla which contains at least 80,000 species and is the second largest phylum in animal kingdom. The members of this group are found throughout the world, they are diverse in size and ecologically, being terrestrial, fresh water or marine. Example, of terrestrial species is flelix pomatia which is an edible snail. (Roger Bryant, 1 994). The external characteristics of snail include a spiral shell, flattened loot and anterior head with prominent tentacle. When provoked, the. snail can withdraw into it's shell and in some cases, the shell opening can be closed by a horny or calcerous plate called an operelulum. (Grolier Family [ncyclopedia). There are three principal types of edible snails that are been marketed for human consumption in Abia State namely, Archachatina maginata, Ac/ia! ma acha!ina and Aclicitinafulica. There are still some other types that are been consumed by some other people in different places, as the types of edible snails varies from place to place. (Roger Bryant, 1994).