invasive species

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We've Won the War on Murder Hornets, Officials Say

'It is a rare day when the humans actually get to win one against the insects'

(Newser) - Americans can take murder hornets off the list of things to worry about in 2025, federal authorities say. Officials say the invasive species has been eradicated from the US, five years after the first specimens were found in Washington state, ABC News reports. Dr. Mark Davidson, the deputy administrator at...

Highway Camera Captures a Surprise, Squawking Cameo

Irritated-looking mynah bird makes a splash on video taken over New Zealand highway

(Newser) - Angry Birds: Down Under? A tropical bird with an attitude has inadvertently become an internet sensation after photobombing a highway traffic camera in New Zealand, and the New Zealand Transport Agency is having a bit of fun with it, reports NBC News . The footage without sound taken over a stretch...

Python Scarfs Down Entire 77-Pound Deer

In the Florida Everglades

(Newser) - Florida researchers tracking snakes in the Everglades were recently treated to quite an "impressive feat": a female Burmese python devouring a 77-pound white-tailed deer, whole. And they've released the footage of when they made their discovery, showing the python's mouth stretched to 93% of its maximum gape,...

Saving Nature Will Require a Societal 'Transformation'

World Wildlife Fund calls for revamping food, energy, finance systems amid wildlife destruction

(Newser) - Enough is enough, says the World Wildlife Fund's Living Planet Report , released Wednesday, calling on governments and companies to "act rapidly to eliminate activities with negative impacts on biodiversity and climate" before it's too late. The report describes a 73% decline in the average size of monitored...

Not a Baaaad Idea for Cities Looking to Clean Up Land

Sheep increasingly are put to work grazing in urban communities to handle invasive species and more

(Newser) - Along the Cumberland River just north of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, tourists on party pontoons see something a little expected: hundreds of sheep nibbling on grass along the riverbank. The urban sheepherder who manages this flock, Zach Richardson, says sometimes tourist boats will go out of their way to let their...

Pennsylvania, Your Unwanted Guests Have Arrived
Sorry, Boston:
Now You've
Got a Joro
UPDATED
Sep 26, 2024 7:55 AM CDT

Sorry, Boston: Now You've Got a Joro

Invasive but 'relatively harmless' Joro spider has been spotted in Massachusetts for first time

(Newser) - "For months, experts warned us that the invasive species was creeping north," a WBZ reporter noted on Wednesday in speaking about the Joro spider, the "flying" arachnid that's been infiltrating states along the East Coast. Now, about a week after it was spotted for the first...

Invasive ManhattAnt Is Adapting, Spreading Fast
Should We Be Worried
About the ManhattAnt?
NEW STUDY
Aug 18, 2024 4:30 PM CDT

Should We Be Worried About the ManhattAnt?

It first showed up in 2011 in New York, but it's on track to be all over the East Coast

(Newser) - Some 13 years ago, a new ant was observed in Manhattan, and because it stood out among typical city ants, it earned a fun nickname: the ManhattAnt. Today, it's become one of the dominant species in the city, expanding its territory about a mile each year, reports NPR . It'...

It's Open Season on Florida Pythons Again

Annual Florida Python Challenge gives state a chance to cull invasive species

(Newser) - Friday marked the start of the annual Florida Python Challenge, where hunters head into the Everglades to track down invasive Burmese pythons in hopes of grabbing a share of $30,000 in prizes. The annual 10-day hunt, which started more than a decade ago, promotes public awareness of issues with...

Spotted Lanterflies May Be Catching Rides Around the Country
Check Your Car for
These Unwanted
Hitchhikers
NEW STUDY
Jul 14, 2024 2:40 PM CDT

Check Your Car for These Unwanted Hitchhikers

Research confirms spotted lanternflies can cling to vehicles at 62mph

(Newser) - When the spotted lanternfly was first found in Pennsylvania 10 years ago, the invasive insect became public enemy No. 1 . But despite robust campaigns to squash them on sight, Science notes that they've spread to 17 more states in just a decade. So how does a bug that can'...

To Save One Kind of Owl, Death to 450K Others

FWS plans to cull 450K barred owls so that the spotted owl can compete for habitat

(Newser) - To save the imperiled spotted owl from potential extinction, US wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their smaller cousins. The US Fish and Wildlife Service strategy released Wednesday is...

Giant Parachuting Spiders Will Be Summering in NY, NJ
Giant Parachuting
Spiders Are Back
Jun 5, 2024 9:40 AM CDT

Giant Parachuting Spiders Are Back

Invasive but usually harmless Joro spiders are headed up the East Coast, sights set on NY, NJ

(Newser) - If you're an arachnophobe living on the East Coast, you may want to hunker down in your bunker for a while: The Joro spiders are back. NJ Pest Control had warned earlier this year that the invasive species also known as Trichonephila clavata would likely be returning to the...

No, This Creature Wandering Florida Isn't a Gator

Florida woman's video of nearly 6-foot-long monitor lizard in Sarasota County goes viral

(Newser) - A mother-daughter car ride in Florida's Sarasota County led to quite a sighting last month. McClatchy News reports that Renee Aland was driving in the southwest city of North Port on May 20 when she did a "double take" at something she spotted along the side of the...

Scientists Find 'Super Cool' Way to Spy on Insects
'Super Cool' Mapping
Tracks Down Tiny Invaders
NEW STUDY
Apr 2, 2024 2:11 PM CDT

'Super Cool' Mapping Tracks Down Tiny Invaders

Airborne laser mapping could speed tracking of invasive insects, study finds

(Newser) - Scientists in search of insects can spend 1,000 hours checking roughly 10,000 trees across 40 acres. Or, with a more convenient approach, they can do the same in about an hour. More and more, researchers are turning to remote sensing technology to ease the burden of searching landscapes...

Unlikely Critter Is Foiling How Lions Hunt


Unlikely Critter
Is Foiling How
Lions Hunt
new study
Feb 4, 2024 12:20 PM CST

Unlikely Critter Is Foiling How Lions Hunt

An invasive ant has upended the ecosystem on a Kenyan preserve, a new study says

(Newser) - The arrival of a tiny ant to a Kenyan wildlife preserve has made ripples in the food chain, all the way up to the mighty lion's eating habits. In just two decades, this invasive insect changed the ecosystem there, ultimately making it harder for lions to hunt. While this...

Cannibalistic Tree Frogs Spread to Another State

Invasive Cuban tree frogs have the charming habit of eating native frogs and other wildlife

(Newser) - They're big (at least for tree frogs), they're cannibalistic, and their grating croaks can be heard all night long. What's not to love about the invasive species hopping into Georgia? Cuban tree frogs are already a menace in Florida, and USA Today reports that the Peach State...

They Tracked Giant Goldfish for Years to Learn How to Kill Them
Massive Goldfish Wreaking
Havoc in the Great Lakes
NEW STUDY
Dec 14, 2023 11:25 AM CST

Massive Goldfish Wreaking Havoc in the Great Lakes

Researchers propose culling invasive fish numbering in the millions

(Newser) - Communities have for years urged pet owners to stop dumping their goldfish . But the problem of the invasive fish has only ballooned along with their bodies—at least in the Great Lakes. "There are literally millions of goldfish in the Great Lakes, if not tens of millions," Nicholas...

Invasive Tick Can Clone Itself, and It's Spreading Quickly

Asian longhorned tick has spread to 19 states, poses a threat to livestock

(Newser) - An invasive tick species is making its way across the US from the east, with particularly worrisome news coming from one of the 19 states where it's been spotted, reports Smithsonian Magazine . After researchers confirmed the Asian longhorned tick killed three cows in Ohio, there's growing concern over...

'Traitor Fish' Deployed in Fight Against Invasive Carp

Transmitters lead wildlife agencies to hideouts

(Newser) - Wildlife officials across the Great Lakes are looking for spies to take on an almost impossible mission: stop the spread of invasive carp. Over the past five years, agencies such as the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources have employed a new seek-and-destroy strategy that...

Australia Goes After 'Ruthless Killers': Feral Cats

They're blamed for killing billions of animals a year

(Newser) - "They are walking, stalking, ruthless killers." That's how Australia's minister for the Environment and Water characterizes cats—feral ones specifically, not pets kept indoors—and she's laid out a series of ideas to majorly tamp down their numbers. The animals are blamed for wreaking havoc...

Here's the Latest Invasive Hornet We Need to Worry About
Here's the Latest Invasive
Hornet We Need to Worry About
in case you missed it
Aug 19, 2023 4:00 PM CDT

Here's the Latest Invasive Hornet We Need to Worry About

Yellow-legged hornet spotted alive in US for first time

(Newser) - For the first time in the US, a yellow-legged hornet has been spotted—and that's not a good thing, officials warn. The Vespa velutina is an invasive species, and the one found by a Georgia beekeeper was alive. If left unchecked, the species could damage agriculture in the state,...

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