invasive species

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Official Advice on This Bug: 'Squash It, Smash It'

Spotted lanternfly threatens Pennsylvania agriculture

(Newser) - "Kill it! Squash it, smash it ... just get rid of it," is the official advice from the government of Pennsylvania for residents who encounter the spotted lanternfly. The insect, an invasive plant-hopping species from Asia first detected in the US in 2014, is considered a major threat to...

'One of Most Damaging Snails' Seized at Houston Airport

Passenger had 15 live giant land snails

(Newser) - Some 15 snails that can grow to be the size of small dogs were seized from a passenger's luggage in Houston earlier this month, officials say. The banana rasp snails, also known as giant land snails, were found in the luggage of a passenger traveling from Nigeria, CBS reports....

California Scrambles to Wipe Out Algae Invader

Species that can overtake habitat has been spotted in state waters for the first time

(Newser) - For the first time, scientists say they have seen a species of bright green algae growing in the waters off California—and they are hoping it's the last. The invasive algae can overtake the environment and displace critical food sources for ocean animals on the southern California coast. A...

They Killed the Rats of 'Rat Island,' With Unexpected Results

Study finds the full ecosystem has fully recovered

(Newser) - The name "Rat Island" has persisted for decades, but it 2012 it was officially done away with , and for good reason. The rats are gone. Popular Science dives into how that came to be and what the longer-term results have been via a March study published in Nature Scientific ...

Scientists Unravel Mystery Ailment of Bald Eagles
Scientists Unravel Mystery
Ailment of Bald Eagles
NEW STUDY
Mar 26, 2021 11:43 AM CDT

Scientists Unravel Mystery Ailment of Bald Eagles

New study attributes deaths to toxin triggered by bromide

(Newser) - For the last 25 years, a mysterious ailment has been killing bald eagles in the US and leaving them with holes in their brains. Researchers identified vacuolar myelinopathy (VM), a deadly condition that brings on paralysis, blindness, and seizures in bald eagles and their prey, including fish, turtles, snakes, and...

In Pet Shops Across America, an 'Incredibly Destructive' Find

Invasive zebra mussels have turned up in moss balls, an aquarium accessories, in 21 states

(Newser) - They're as small as a fingernail, but the damage that zebra mussels can cause belies their tiny size. That's why the feds are concerned that the invasive, quickly multiplying mollusks have been popping up in pet stores across the US, specifically in ornamental moss balls used as decor...

There's Only One Option: Kill Pablo Escobar's Hippos

Unchecked, Colombian herd will hit ecosystem's carrying capacity by 2039: experts

(Newser) - In the 6.5 years since we last visited Pablo Escobar's hippo herd , it's become illegal to kill any member of the Colombian population, which is considered something of a country emblem. It's no surprise, then, that the non-native animals are breeding out of control in a...

4-Foot-Long Lizard Is Spreading in Southeast US

Hardy, invasive tegu appears to have begun its spread in south Florida

(Newser) - Wildlife authorities are asking Americans to be on the lookout for a dog-sized, egg-hunting lizard spreading across the southeastern US. The Argentine black-and-white tegu, which reaches up to 4 feet long, is believed to have spread through south Florida after escaping captivity or being intentionally released more than a decade...

Destroyed Murder Hornet Nest Was Crawling With Queens

Caught 'in nick of time,' it contained 500 live hornets, including almost 200 queens

(Newser) - An entomologist who helped destroy the first murder hornet nest found in the US says experts "got there just in the nick of time." Some 500 live murder hornets were found in some stage of development in the nest taken from a tree in Whatcom County, Wash., including...

After Ga. Homeowner Kills Python in Yard, a Warning

'Please do NOT release exotic animals'

(Newser) - Pythons are native to Southeast Asia, Australia, and Africa—so when they turn up in someone's yard in the US, it attracts notice. That's what recently happened at a home in Walton County, Ga., where what looks like a ball python showed up, only to meet its demise...

Wash. Nabs Its First &#39;Murder Hornet&#39;
First Murder Hornet Trapped 
Aug 2, 2020 8:39 AM CDT

First Murder Hornet Trapped

Congratulations, Washington

(Newser) - Good news/terrifying news out of Washington state, which has officially trapped its first Asian giant hornet, popularly known as the murder hornet. As CNN reports, the state has had five sightings since last year, but the specimen found July 14 in Birch Bay is the first ever trapped. "This...

They Eat 'Anything They Want.' Ga. Wants to Get Rid of Them

Argentine black-and-white tegu lizards are invading the Peach State

(Newser) - They can grow up to 4 feet long, weigh up to 10 pounds, live up to 20 years, and eat "just about anything they want." Now, Georgia is trying to rid itself of the Argentine black-and-white tegu lizard, an invasive species so far spotted in Toombs and Tattnall...

Georgia's Advice on This Fish: 'Kill It Immediately, Freeze It'

Invasive northern snakehead shows up in state waters for the first time

(Newser) - Wildlife officials often put a catch-and-release policy into place for fish. Not so with the northern snakehead in Georgia. There, authorities' first line of guidance is in all caps: "DO NOT RELEASE IT." The second: "Kill it immediately ... and freeze it." As USA Today reports, the...

Florida Asks Iguana Hunters to Chill a Little

It explains that this isn't the 'wild west'

(Newser) - At the start of July, the media picked up on a Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission advisory that explained it "encourages removal of green iguanas from private properties by landowners"—and it's legal to kill them without a permit. Roughly three weeks later, the commission found itself...

The Plan: Drop 1.5 Tons of Rat Poison Pellets Here

Fish and Wildlife Service thinks it's the only way to rid the Farallon Islands of mice

(Newser) - The only humans who occupy the South Farallon Islands off San Francisco are scientists. But the land is otherwise well-populated: In addition to sea lions, seals, and salamanders, it's home to the biggest seabird breeding colony in the Lower 48. But there's also house mice—up to 60,...

Last Snail of Its Kind Dies in Hawaii
Death of George
the Snail Matters
Jan 8, 2019 12:51 PM CST

Death of George the Snail Matters

He was the last of his kind in Hawaii. Species Achatinella apexfulva is no more

(Newser) - A 14-year-old Hawaiian land snail born in an effort to save its species has died as the last of its kind. The Achatinella apexfulva named George died in a state lab on New Year's Day, likely of old age, NPR reports. The first of some 750 species of Hawaiian...

New Python Hybrid May Spell Future Trouble in Everglades

A DNA study found a genetically mixed species that could lead to a more vigorous invader

(Newser) - A genetic study has found a new and dangerous possibility lurking in the DNA of Florida's invasive pythons. Per the Miami Herald , researchers from the US Geological Survey tested hundreds of the Everglades' already worryingly prolific giant snake species and what they found could mean an even hardier invader...

Parsnip's Poisonous Cousin Burns Woman

Invasive plant blamed for injuries comparable to second-degree burns in Vermont

(Newser) - A woman was left with severe burns and blisters on her legs after encountering an invasive species of plant in Vermont, reports the AP . Charlotte Murphy says she developed painful blisters overnight after brushing against "poison parsnip," which Live Science explains is a wild version of the common...

'Horror Plant' Discovered in Another US State

Giant hogweed, which can cause severe burns and blindness, has spread to Virginia

(Newser) - What ScienceAlert calls a "giant horror plant" has made its way to yet another US state, and people who come in contact with it could feel the pain. Virginia Tech's Massey Herbarium tweeted last week it had IDed a giant hogweed (aka Heracleum mantegazzianum) plant in Clarke County,...

200K Mice Plagued the Islands. Amazingly, There Are Now None

A seeming victory for biodiversity on New Zealand's Antipodes Islands

(Newser) - A subantarctic archipelago is making "huge news": The New Zealand Herald reports there are officially no more mice on the country's Antipodes Islands, which once housed up to 200,000 of the rodents. They caused a big threat to the World Heritage Site by preying on native birds,...

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