In 1772, Benjamin Franklin sent Chinese tallow seeds to Savannah, Georgia; the government planted more along the Gulf in 1900, and the tree now covers 185,000 hectaresIn the late 1700s, a shipment of 1772 seeds sparked a significant invasion of non-native trees across southern U.S. forests. The federal pl...
25 Aug, 2026, 02.00 PM IST
In 1978, Turkey Point workers found 1 crocodile nest when Florida had fewer than 300 left. 48 years later, about 400 live in its canals, turning a nuclear plant into an unlikely crocodile habitatAn unexpected discovery at Turkey Point nuclear plant in 1978 initiated a crocodile recovery. Engineers built canals which created an accid...
24 Aug, 2026, 07.54 PM IST
In 1970s, silver carp were brought to the US for aquaculture. Now the jumping fish threaten a $20 billion Great Lakes industryInvasive silver carp are rapidly approaching the Great Lakes, raising alarm over potential ecological and economic damage. The recent detec...
24 Aug, 2026, 07.12 PM IST
In 1997, couple started with 11 farms; decades later, their 67,000-acre reserve is home to more than 60 mammal speciesA South African couple’s nearly three-decade conservation effort has transformed 11 former livestock farms into a 67,000-acre wildlife rese...
23 Aug, 2026, 04.31 PM IST
In 2002, a Maryland angler caught a huge fish he had never seen before. The discovery sparked panic, inspired horror movies and the species became one of America's most notorious invasive fishA strange fish caught in a Maryland pond in 2002 soon became the center of a nationwide invasive species scare. The discovery of the northe...
22 Aug, 2026, 07.41 PM IST
In 1990s, Samoa released a predatory flatworm as a weapon against giant African land snails. 49 years later, the predator has outlived its original target-control mission and threatens native snails insteadThe introduction of the predatory flatworm, Platydemus manokwari, to Samoa aimed to tackle the invasive giant African snails. However, this...
21 Aug, 2026, 10.49 PM IST
In 1961, Hawaii introduced black-tailed deer to Kauai for sport hunting; a later survey found them across about half of sampled locationsIn 1961, Columbian black-tailed deer were introduced to Kauai primarily for sport hunting. Over the years, these non-native deer have proli...
21 Aug, 2026, 02.30 PM IST
Burmese pythons invaded Florida’s Everglades in the 1980s; decades later, the decline in raccoon, opossum and bobcat population number is staggeringBurmese pythons, an invasive species in Florida's Everglades, have caused severe declines in native wildlife over the past several decades....
20 Aug, 2026, 05.16 PM IST
In 1985, the first invasive lionfish spotted off Florida after aquarium release; in three decades, they spread from Gulf of Mexico to the southern CaribbeanThe invasive lionfish, first introduced in the 1980s, has quickly proliferated across the Western Atlantic, extending its reach from Florid...
20 Aug, 2026, 04.35 PM IST
In 1914, USDA researchers imported Australian melaleuca seeds into the United States. 100 years later, the fast-growing tree had conquered 500,000 acres of South Florida after being planted to help dry the EvergladesAustralian melaleuca seeds were imported to the United States in 1914 for agricultural purposes. Later, the Army Corps of Engineers planted...
20 Aug, 2026, 01.11 AM IST
In the 1990s, a predatory flatworm was released in Samoa to control giant African snails; it later drove native island snails toward extinctionBiological control efforts introduced the New Guinea flatworm to Pacific islands. This predator began hunting native land snails, pushing t...
19 Aug, 2026, 06.58 PM IST
In 1500s, Spanish explorers introduced pigs into North America. Now areas where they roam free have fewer invasive speciesAlthough wild pigs have long been viewed as destructive invasive species, recent findings reveal they also play a surprising role in curbin...
18 Aug, 2026, 05.44 PM IST
In 1905, Hawaii introduced mosquitofish to fight mosquitoes. More than 100 years later, the fish is threatening native wildlifeAn invasive species, mosquitofish, introduced to Hawaii in 1905 poses a significant threat to the islands' native freshwater ecosystem. The...
17 Aug, 2026, 05.18 PM IST
How a mosquitofish brought in to kill mosquito larvae became major freshwater ecosystem problemA fish introduced to Hawaii over a century ago now threatens native freshwater wildlife. The mosquitofish, brought to control mosquitoes, n...
17 Aug, 2026, 11.34 AM IST
In the 1930s, just 9 to 20 foreign ant queens apparently stowed away on a ship; their descendants now infest more than 367 million U.S. acresA few fire ant queens arriving in Mobile, Alabama, in the 1930s established a widespread infestation. These invasive insects now infest ove...
14 Aug, 2026, 03.30 PM IST
In 1884, Louisiana displayed South American water hyacinth for its lavender flowers; within decades, floating mats covered 126,000 Florida acres and blocked waterwaysOriginating in 1884, water hyacinth transformed into a significant nuisance for Florida by the 1950s. This aggressive floating plant overto...
13 Aug, 2026, 04.10 PM IST
In the early 1970s, Maui planted miconia for its spectacular purple leaves; its descendants spread across East Maui and threatened native forest watershedsIntroduced to Maui in the 1970s, Miconia calvescens, known as the velvet tree, has emerged as a significant invasive species. Its swift spr...
13 Aug, 2026, 03.50 PM IST