How do eggs develop?
When the young are hatched, they are miniature adults. There is no metamorphosis or molting. Young snails grow by the mantle adding material to the leading edge of the shell which in turn adds morewhorls. The Achatina fulica snails in a clutch emerge to the surface en masse, usually within a few hours. In some cases, one or two individuals force a path through the sand to the surface and the others following the same route. After hatching, they eat their shells, and sometimes the shell of unhatched siblings. Much of the growth is in the first month with a little less in the next two months.
