The balance of nature has been out of kilter for hundreds of years – basically, since man has interfered to make things better. In many cases, some species have been introduced to an area where they are not indigenous to solve a problem “naturally,” without resorting to pesticides or culling of another species.
An example is the cane toad in Australia. It was brought into the country to deal with the cane beetle in the sugar cane fields. Unfortunately the cane toad is now the bigger problem.
Rabbits, too, were introduced there, and have multiplied as only rabbits can, making their population unmanageable.
The green crab has been transported in ships’ ballasts and has upset the marine ecosystems wherever it has established itself.
Zebra mussels are also an invasive species transported by ships.
Feral swine (also called wild pigs, Eurasian boar, or feral hogs) destroy agricultural fields and impact the regeneration of forests by eating the seeds, nuts, and cones of trees. The swine are omnivorous and so are a threat to young livestock. They can do tremendous damage to the agricultural industry. Feral swine carry at least 30 types of diseases and 40 types of parasites. They are really bad news!
Burmese pythons have been introduced to Florida’s Everglades through the pet trade and have upset the balance of nature there. They prey on rabbits, foxes, raccoons, and birds, to name a few. Many populations of smaller mammals have been decimated. The Burmese python has also brought a pentastome parasitic disease, infecting other reptiles. The parasite is now considered to be endemic in Florida.
So you see that introduced species can be quite detrimental to their new habitat.
While trout fishing on a local lake recently, the Captain encountered a new invasive species, the freshwater crocodile. It is pictured here, photo taken with the Captain’s little point-and-click Fuji camera. It is a bit blurry because he was shaking with fear, and paddling with one hand while he risked his life to take the photo with the other.
If you ever find yourself tempted to swim in a freshwater lake in British Columbia, be aware that these newly introduced crocodiles could appear from the depths to nibble on their favourite delicacy, swimmers’ toes.
March 18, 2022 at 1:42 pm
I’ll be sure to avoid the lakes when in BC! The zebra mussels have been a terrible thing in the Great lakes. I’ve seen them attached to my dad’s boat, the hull, propellers, the lower unit. Hard to get off, and they clog water intakes and more. But, they do make the lake water clearer.
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March 18, 2022 at 4:55 pm
It is amazing–all the species we introduce into environs where they have no natural predator. Really good picture by the Captain, btw!
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March 18, 2022 at 8:54 pm
It is shocking when you start to list them. The Captain is learning to have an eye for potential blog material.
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March 18, 2022 at 6:09 pm
Hahaha! This is interesting 😉
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March 18, 2022 at 8:57 pm
I thought the freshwater crocodile looked quite fierce. But on the serious side of the topic, it is really quite surprising how many species are not natural to an area and how much they damage and change the natural balance that once was there.
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March 18, 2022 at 9:38 pm
Very true! Sometimes maybe there is a little need from people to restore some habitats, but sometimes we do more damage than good.
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March 18, 2022 at 9:50 pm
Yes, and the more we try to fix it, the more we need to fix.
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March 18, 2022 at 6:24 pm
Wow ..I didn’t realize there were crocodiles in BC . Thanks for sharing this. Anita
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March 18, 2022 at 8:58 pm
Well … only the kind that look like rotten logs in the water.
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March 19, 2022 at 7:24 am
Add to the crocodiles the monsters that are crowding the beaches of the Arrow Lakes.
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March 19, 2022 at 9:11 am
They seem to be everywhere these days.
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March 19, 2022 at 2:37 pm
If there were only wooden monsters, the world would be a better place.
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March 19, 2022 at 3:02 pm
Yes, a lot of people would still be alive in Ukraine.
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March 19, 2022 at 7:35 am
Introducing a species to eradicate a pest often makes things a lot worse. Then there are the hitchhikers on vessels and freight. Not to mention freshwater crocodiles 😏
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March 19, 2022 at 9:15 am
Yes, it’s bad enough when it happens by chance but people so often add to the problems on purpose thinking it will makes things better.
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March 19, 2022 at 7:53 am
That’s very interesting. Man’s interference certainly has caused unbalances.
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March 19, 2022 at 9:15 am
It sure has.
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March 19, 2022 at 2:31 pm
This is scary! I can imagine the Captain being shaky, especially coming face to face with an unexpected crocodile. Lovely tulips, Anneli! ❤
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March 19, 2022 at 2:58 pm
Haha. Funny thing was, the thing must have been sleeping (with its mouth open) because it didn’t move once. Glad you like the tulips. I took that photo at the La Conner Tulip Festival in Washington State one year. That’s when I learned that if you get enough tulips in one place they have a heavenly scent.
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March 20, 2022 at 1:29 pm
They are beautiful!
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March 20, 2022 at 11:22 am
Ha ha ha. I’m glad the Captain survived his encounter with the invasive, ferocious, dreaded Lake Crocodile. 🙂
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March 20, 2022 at 2:59 pm
I was flattered that he thought this might be blog post material for me, and so brought the photo home for me.
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March 20, 2022 at 4:28 pm
Aww. He was right!
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March 21, 2022 at 3:25 pm
Get outta here!!!!!!!!!! No way. Are you making this up?
By the way, the worst invasive species to my mind is KUDZU in the American southeast. Ick.
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March 21, 2022 at 3:41 pm
Yes, I’m making it up – at least the last part….
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March 21, 2022 at 7:14 pm
LOL!
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March 22, 2022 at 12:07 am
Yes sometimes introducing a species is necessary but can make some problems also. Beautiful article thanks for sharing 😊👍👍
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March 22, 2022 at 8:48 am
That’s so true, Priti. Sometimes the problems are manageable, but often they are worse than the original problem. I think it’s too late to make everything go back to the way it was. The world is always changing.
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March 22, 2022 at 8:49 am
Yea absolutely . Stay blessed 🤗🥰
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March 22, 2022 at 2:11 pm
Wow! I certainly never caught one of those on my trailcams when I was in BC 😉
We’ve had our ups and downs with introduced species in the UK. Some have been here so long that they’ve become naturalised and are important for extremely wildlife-rich ecosystems (e.g. rabbits in the Brecklands). A handful just exist without being invasive – e.g red-necked wallabies and water deer. But others are a major headache, such as Japanese knotweed, many water plants, fallow deer and buddleia. And cherry laurel. I have no idea why people are still allowed to plant that in their gardens!
Hope you’re well, Anneli. I’ve been away from WordPress for quite a while.
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March 22, 2022 at 3:58 pm
I’m surprised you didn’t come across one of these crocs in your travels, Adele. It’s not like you to miss anything (*grinning.*)
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