Here are a few of the most damaging invasive
species!
7 - Black Rats
Black rats were thought to be an accomplice
in the spread of the plague that took out
around 100 million people in Europe during
the 14th century.
You could argue that they’re among the worst
invasive species of all time.
In fact, they may just take the cake!
One of the more widely accepted theories as
to how the bubonic plague spread was that
fleas carrying the plague latched onto black
rats.
Rats were pretty common on merchant ships,
and that helped spread the plague all across
Europe.
It wasn’t until the 17th century and the
industrial revolution that the population
recovered.
Those infected would grow buboes which cause
lymph nodes to swell up, sometimes to the
size of apples according to historical accounts.
These buboes would often ooze pus and bleed
when they popped or opened.
Black spots would form all over the body.
In most cases, those infected wouldn't last
even a week!
At that time, they figured the plague was
spread airborne.
They thought it was simply bad air.
The concept of hygiene was a pretty foreign
concept, which is why most cities had discarded
food and trash all over the city.
This made it a ripe breeding ground for the
rats who came over on merchant ships, who
carried over the fleas.
That caused the plague to spread like wildfire.
Now, some historians have presented some evidence
to suggest that the plague was actually spread
person to person, and NOT by rats.
Even if that’s the case, black rats are
still considered to be a pest to this day.
Like pretty much all other invasive species
they invade an ecosystem and mess it up.
Without a natural predator, they grow uncontrollably,
and prey on other species.
Black rats are responsible for the extinction
of many species on tropical islands.
Seriously, who likes rats?!
6 - Redback Spiders
Here’s the thing about Redback Spiders.
On top of being really invasive, they’re
also super venomous.
Nope, that’s not a great combination.
Their painful bite has earned them a fearsome
reputation in Australia, where natives consider
them to be among the most dangerous of spiders.
During the 1980’s, Brisbane noticed a huge
influx of these dangerous spiders.
Redbacks are known to prefer a dry climate,
which is weird, because Brisbane has a pretty
moist, subtropical climate.
But, the 80’s saw a more dry climate in
Brisbane, which allowed the redback population
to grow tremendously.
This was a problem, because Redbacks prefer
to live where humans do.
The garden, the woodshed, the attic, the basement,
patio furniture.
You name it, and Redbacks probably will try
to make it their home!
These guys bite around 2000 people each year.
Their bites can really screw up your day if
you’re unlucky enough to be attacked.
The weird thing is, the bites often go unnoticed
at first.
That’s bad because that allows the venom
to spread.
Eventually the pain becomes really intense.
Nausea, vomiting, headaches, and lethargy
are staple side effects of a redback bite.
Redback spiders even seem to be spreading
outside of Australia.
In 2014, Redbacks were found in Tokyo for
the first time.
This could have been pretty awful since Japan
wasn’t ready to treat an outbreak in bites.
While this invasion didn’t seem to lead
to any real problems, it does prove troublesome.
With the influx of Redbacks it seems likely
that there will be more and more spider bites.
The BBC reported that a man was bitten you
know where by one of these spiders when he
was using a portable bathroom.
Um…….yeah, I think that’s on any guy’s
list of worst things that can happen.
He was later released in stable condition.
With hopefully fully functioning equipment!
5 - Snakehead Fish
A fish with shark-like teeth and the ability
to walk on land?
Does that sound like a nightmare to you yet?
But the Northern Snakehead is all too real.
Just ask Maryland natives who discovered the
fish in a pond in 2002, when they quickly
annihilated the other fish species in the
pond!
Native to Asia and Africa, Snakeheads have
spread to waters all over the globe over the
past century.
This is bad, because when they’re introduced
to unnatural habitats, they have no natural
predator.
They essentially have free reign to eat whatever
they feel like, so much so their nickname
is “Fishzilla”!
This freaky fish can actually survive on land
for up to 4 days!
The average female can produce about 150,000
offspring during her life.
Their population is almost impossible to control.
They were legally imported into the US to
display in aquariums and to eat, since they
look kinda cool and they’re considered a
popular dish in Asia.
But their presence has really disrupted fishing
trade as their population has spread all over.
That’s why it’s now illegal to own live
Snakeheads in most U.S states.
4 - Cane Toad
Although the Cane Toad is native to the Americas,
it’s spread across island nations in the
Caribbean and Oceania.
It’s even managed to weasel its way up into
Northern Australia!
Cane Toads often wreak havoc on native species
when they’re introduced to a new ecosystem.
In the more than 20 countries the cane toad
has “invaded”, many of the countries saw
a pretty serious decline in biodiversity.
Cane toads were introduced to Australia from
Hawaii in June 1935 in an attempt to control
the native grey-backed cane beetle and Frenchi
beetle.
These beetles were detrimental to sugar cane
crops at that time.
The cane toads were bred in captivity, and
by August 1935 more than 102 young toads were
released.
Since their release, cane toads have rapidly
multiplied in population and now number over
200 million!
Unfortunately, the introduction of the toads
has not only caused large environmental detriment,
but the toads didn’t do much to stop the
beetles.
Instead became pests themselves.
Let’s just say it didn’t work out too
well.
3 - European Starling
On the surface, an army of songbirds doesn’t
really sound all that bad right?
This is why amateur ornithologist Eugene Schieffelin
figured he’d release 60 Europeans Starting
into Central Park in New York City back in
1890.
As their name would suggest, they’re native
to Europe, not the US.
Here’s something strange.
Schieffelin figured he’d introduce every
bird mentioned in Shakespeare’s work to
North America.
Just because he liked Shakespeare that much.
Thanks to a very brief mention of the bird
in Henry the VI, those 60 European Starlings
that were first let loose in Central Park
ballooned into 150 million.
60 to 150 million in around 130 years!
European starlings cause upwards of $800 million
dollars in crop damage each year!
Of course the intentions here were pretty
innocent.
And their population has spread all over the
world to something like 310 million.
That’s because european starlings have been
imported all over the world because of their
ability to control pests, pollinate crops
and perform a handful of other functions.
However, when introduced to a new ecosystem,
european starlings cause pandemonium.
Common starlings eat and damage fruit in orchards
such as grapes, peaches, and olives.
They may also eat animal feed and distribute
seeds through their droppings.
In eastern Australia, weeds such as bridal
creeper, blackberry and boneseed are thought
to have been spread by common starlings.
Starlings' droppings can also contain a fungus
which causes a type of lung infection in humans!
At roosting sites this fungus can thrive in
accumulated droppings.
There are a number of other infectious diseases
that can potentially be transmitted by common
starlings to humans!
The large size of flocks can also cause problems.
Starlings can get sucked up into aircraft
jet engines.
One of the worst examples was in Boston in
1960, when starlings downed a turboprop prop
plane!
2 - Burmese Python
Burmese Pythons are one of the largest snakes
on the planet!
They sometimes reach an astonishing 18 feet
in length!
Armed with razor sharp teeth and the ability
to suffocate large prey such as deer, pigs
and goats, pythons are pretty damn scary.
Their population has skyrocketed in the Florida
everglades.
By some estimates, more than 1,300 of these
giant snakes roam the woods of Florida.
Initially they were sold to Americans as exotic
pets, but because they’re often released
into the wild, their population has grown
incredibly large.
In 2012, the U.S Department of the Interior
banned the importation of Burmese Pythons
because of the devastating effect they’ve
been having on South Florida's ecosystem.
For example, in Florida, they’re known to
be opportunistic predators, often wrangling
up foxes, rabbits, and white tailed deer.
Basically anything they can get to.
Without a predator to keep them in check,
they treat the Everglades as their own personal
buffet.
Since they're native to parts of Southeast
Asia they can only survive in climates similar
to that.
That’s why they have been thriving in Florida.
So while it’s unlikely that they’ll spread
across the U.S, they’re still causing mayhem
in Florida.
1 - Sea Lamprey
If you’re looking for a pet with a lotta
sharp teeth, look no further than the Sea
Lamprey.
This guy comes packed with rows on rows of
super sharp teeth!
They grow up to 3 feet in length, and can
weigh up to 13 lbs. 13 pounds of something
that just sucks on its prey.
Ugh.
The sea lamprey doesn’t have a jaw and basically
just latches on.
And then it just sucks.
And sucks.
It just holds on and sucks out blood and other
fluids.
They secrete an anticoagulant into its prey
that stops blood from coagulating.
Each one of these guys can eat up to 40 lbs
of fish in its lifetime!
To give you an example of how destructive
these guys are, sea lampreys were introduced
to the Great Lakes in the US through man made
shipping canals earlier in the 20th century.
Before the Sea Lamprey were in the Great Lakes,
fishermen harvested about 15 million lbs of
lake trout a year.
After they got in the Great Lakes, the annual
yield dropped down to just 300,000 lbs per
year!
Watch this next video to learn about animals
Who Have the most Diabolical Skills!
