Articles tagged as Invasive Species

Today the desert tortoise faces a variety of new human-associated threats: off-road vehicle use, the illegal pet trade, and now, an influx of deadly ravens.

Future of Conservation

To Save Desert Tortoises, Make Conservation a Real-Life Video Game

Traditional techniques weren’t working for the raven-ravaged reptile. So researchers got creative

May 16, 2017

Every cupful of pond water is swirling with DNA sequences. Now, scientists are putting them to work to solve stubborn conservation mysteries.

Future of Conservation

How Scientists Use Teeny Bits of Leftover DNA to Solve Wildlife Mysteries

Environmental DNA helps biologists track rare, elusive species. It could usher in a revolution for conservation biology

April 25, 2017

Equus first evolved in North America millions of years ago.

How the Mustang, the Symbol of the Frontier, Became a Nuisance

A mainstay of Western culture, the free-roaming stallions are now a force to be reckoned with

May 2017

Among all those poppies is something less beautiful—noxious, invasive weeds.

In a word: weeds

March 24, 2017

North American gray squirrels are decimating native red squirrels in the British Isles, leading to a new plan to reduce the population of invasive mammals

February 27, 2017

The Javan myna is critically endangered in its natural Indonesian habitat, but exploding populations in Singapore have made it a nuisance there.

New Research

How Escaped Exotic Pet Birds Could Help Save Threatened Species

Though usually seen as a threat to local populations, these escapees could also help in the recovery of creatures in trouble

January 16, 2017

How Yellowstone Scientists Really Combat Invasive Species

Yellowstone cutthroat trout are on the brink of extinction as invasive lake trout continue to eat them

October 7, 2016

Researchers fear that these normal monk seal encounters could soon grow deadly.

Why Rare Hawaiian Monk Seals Are Lining Up to Get Their Shots

Fearing devastating disease, researchers are vaccinating a wild marine mammal for the first time

September 16, 2016

In the past few weeks, thousands of fish have gone belly-up.

The Massive Yellowstone Fish Die-Off: A Glimpse Into Our Climate Future?

This unprecedented kill reveals why we need to keep rivers resilient

August 25, 2016

Age of Humans

Ginormous Goldfish Are Invading Australian Rivers

Abandoned by their owners, the fish run rampant and impact the environment

August 18, 2016

The invasive emerald ash borer is threatening the forests where Rawlings and Louisville Sluggers come from, putting the bats in jeopardy

August 5, 2016

Gray squirrels, raccoons and crayfish were among the prohibited species

August 3, 2016

Ask Smithsonian

What’s the Difference Between Invasive and Nonnative Species? Plus, More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

July 2016

A recent survey shows that the fish have colonized Cyprus and may continue to spread

June 29, 2016

Age of Humans

The Global Price of Invasive Species

The U.S. and China pose the greatest threat as exporters of invasive species, but other countries have more to lose

June 21, 2016

Trending Today

Nile Crocodiles Have Moved to Florida

Three “unusual” crocodilians turned out to be more closely related to South African crocs than American ones

May 20, 2016

Sweden wants to ban live American lobsters for fear they will out-claw their own

May 9, 2016

New Research

Invasive Ants Could Be Beaten Back With a Targeted Virus

The idea is sound, but work needs to be done to ensure the virus doesn’t take out other insects as well

September 10, 2015

New Research

Invasive Rabbits Change the Soil so Drastically you Can See the Effects Decades Later

Remote French islands in the Indian Ocean have a bunny problem

September 9, 2015

Ten years on, some of the scars that Katrina tore into coastal ecosystems persist, while others have healed. NASA's Landsat 8 satellite captured this image of the swamps and marshes that buffer New Orleans in August 2015.

Age of Humans

How Hurricane Katrina Redrew the Gulf Coast

While storms here are nothing new, human influence helped Katrina make Louisiana’s ecological problems worse

August 28, 2015