A nonnative species is an animal or plant living somewhere it does not belong, usually because people brought it there. When it spreads and causes harm, we call it invasive. In the United States the list is long: wild hogs tear up land and crops, foreign plants choke ponds, pythons hunt in the Everglades, house cats kill birds and lizards, zebra mussels clog waterways. It is never a good idea to release a new species into an ecosystem, yet people do it all the time. Fish are stocked in lakes for fishing. Nutria (big South American rodents) and fire ants have been here so long that many people think they are native.
This lesson is part of Certified Junior Herpetologist. Enrollment is self-paced, with no deadline to finish (about 30 hours).
