Incoming! The World’s 10 Worst Invasive Species

KUDZU  ORIGIN – Japan & Southeast China  New Location(s) – Southern USA; New Jersey; Oregon  How it introduced - At the Philadelphia Centennial Expo of 1876 as a fast-growing ground cover  How it harmful - The vine is very fast- growing and overgrows, taking over native plant species

Rabbits  Origin – Europe  New Location – Australia  How it was introduced – Thomas Austin, in 1859, released 24 rabbits in Australia  How it is harmful – They destroy native plants; cause soil erosion; damage the food chains

Starlings  Origin – Europe  New Location – All over the USA  How it was introduced - In 1890, Eugene Schieffelin released 60 starlings in Central Park  How it is harmful – Decrease the numbers of native birds; $800 Million in agricultural losses; cause of deadly plane crashes

Burmese Python  Origin – Asia  New Location – Florida Everglades  How it was introduced – People released pets they no longer wanted into the areas surrounding the glades  How it is harmful – It has few predators so its numbers are not kept in check; it eats endangered species; disrupts the food chains

Cane Toads  Origin – America (Texas)  New Location – Queensland, Australia  How it was introduced – Purposely released to control the population of beetles in sugar cane plantations  How it is harmful – Has toxins which kill would-be predators; eats native species reducing their numbers

Snakehead Fish  Origin – East Asia & Africa  New Location – Leeds, England  How introduced – By fisheries  How harmful – They devour anything they can find; they can crawl on the ground & survive for 4 days breathing air

Eastern Grey Squirrel  Origin – North America  New Location – Great Britain  How it was introduced – Deliberately introduced in the 19 th century; the releasers were curious about grey squirrels  How it is harmful – Grey squirrels compete more successfully then the native Red Squirrels; grey squirrels also carry a virus that infects the red squirrels

Killer Bees (Africanized Honey Bees) Origin – Sao Paulo, Brazil  New Locations- New Orleans, Southern Utah, throughout South America  How it was introduced – In 1957, 26 Tanzanian queen bees were accidentally released by a beekeeper and mated with honey bees  How it is harmful – The hybrid bees are VERY aggressive bees

Asian Carp  Origin – China  New Locations - Midwestern USA; along the Mississippi River  Imported to clear the algae from catfish ponds in the Southern USA. Flooding allowed the carp to spread to the Mississippi River then to other locations  How harmful – Detrimental to the environment; Uproot natural vegetation

Rats  Origin – Norwegian rats from Japanese boats  New Location – Alaska Aleutian Island Chain  How it was introduced – Norway rats escaped a shipwrecked Japanese boat in 1780  How it is harmful – Blamed for up to 60% of recorded extinction of Island birds & reptiles