A complete list of introduced species for even quite small areas of the world would be dauntingly long. Humans have introduced more different species to new environments than any single document can hope to record. This list is generally for established species with truly wild populations—not kept domestically or on ranches—that have been seen numerous times, and have breeding populations.
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Australia has a huge range of introduced species, so sub-classifications are necessary:
Feral animals that cause the most public concern, and economic and ecological damage include:
Image | Name | Species | Overview | Introduced | Reason | Introduced from | Distribution | Feral | Pest | Threat level | Est. pop. | Main control measures | Notes / ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cane toad | Bufo marinus | Cane toads in Australia | 1935 | Biological control (cane beetle) | South America via Hawaii | Queensland (extensive), northern New South Wales, Top End, Kimberley | No | Yes | Extreme | 200 million + | Culling; trapping;[1] genetic[2] (under research) | prolific breeders and bufotoxin kills native animals [3] | |
Red Fox | Vulpes vulpes | Feral foxes in Australia | 1855 | Recreational hunting | Europe | most of mainland Australia; small numbers in Tasmania[4] | No | Yes | Extreme | 7.2 million + | 1080 baiting; hunting | Elusive prolific predator of native animals and livestock.[5] | |
European Rabbit | Oryctolagus cuniculus | Rabbits in Australia | 1859 | Recreational hunting | Europe | Throughout Australia (extensive) | No | Yes | High | 200 million + | rabbit-proof fence; Myxomatosis; Calicivirus (RHD) | Prolific breeders that destroy land. | |
Dromedary Camel | Camelus dromedarius | Australian feral camel | 1840 | Beast of burden | India | Central Australia (extensive) | Yes | Yes | Medium to high | 1.1 million | Helicopter culling | Grazer, though arid Australian conditions suit the camel perfectly.[6] | |
Feral goat | Capra hircus | Feral goats in Australia | ?? | Domestic livestock | ?? | Throughout Australia (extensive) | Yes | Yes | High | + | Helicopter culling | [7] | |
Feral cat | Felis catus | Feral cat | c. 1700s | Pets | Europe | Throughout Australia, except in tropical rainforests (extensive) | Yes | Yes | High to extreme | ?? | Barrier fencing, shooting, trapping. Control measures effective on small islands; less so on the mainland. | The most widely spread and invasive of all introduced species. It is possibly responsible for the extinction of some species of small mammals.[8] | |
Brumby | Equus ferus caballus | Brumby | 1788 | Farm and utility work | Europe; some later imports from South Africa and Indonesia | Throughout Australia (extensive) | Yes | Yes | Medium to high | 300,000+ | Musters, ground and helicopter culling, fertility control | Grazers that damage sensitive lands[9] | |
Feral pig | Sus scrofa | Feral pig | 1788 | Domestic livestock | Europe | Throughout Australia, except in deserts (extensive) | Yes | Yes | High | 13 million to 23 million | Musters, ground and helicopter culling, trapping, poisoning, fencing | Prolific breeders that destroy land and have the potential to spread disease[10] |
See also Invasive species in the British Isles
Further information can be found at the GB Non-native Species Secretariat, which has a free toolkit of resources on non-native species, including a photo gallery, ID sheets, risk assessments, projects database, case studies and resources for local action groups.
See also Canoe Plants
Up to 26,000 plants have been introduced into New Zealand. This list is a few of the more common and more invasive species.
Marine
Freshwater
Terrestrial