Blog 8: Invasive species

The Cane Toad is described as a "super invader". As the years go on the cane toad population is getting bigger and better at spreading it's way around the country. The cane toad made it's way to Australia in 1935 to control some sugar cane pests. Not only did they not control the sugar cane pests, but they also became one of the top 100 invasive species. These toads have been proven to have longer legs now that they can jump with causing them to be able to spread faster. Unfortunaltely, leaving diseases behind them. Cane Toads made many populations to reduce by a signifigant amount. Also, Cane Toads are known for causing things such as salmonella, intense pain, temporary blindness, and inflammation, and that's just for humans? Imagine what the Cane Toad popultaion is doing to the ecosystem. One of the things that Australia has tried to do to control their population of Cane Toads is release a pheromone that kills baby Cane Toads, and nothing else, in this way the slowly get rid of the population, in hopes for help. Unfortuneately, some of the Cane Toads lived and the number of Cane Toads increased once again.

Even in the United States we have problems with invasive species. We pass some of them everyday without even noticing. Every year my family and I go to Arkansas, and one day we would go fishing. Down there, there is a ton of rainbow trout. Little did we know that we were fishing for invasive species. It appeared in the late 1800s, and many people continued to stock for this species because it was used a lot for sport fishing. Rainbow trout is responsible for the near extiction of the Lahontan cutthroat in Lake Tahoe. Also, it has been found to negatively affect species in Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Montana, and California. Also, the stocking of Rainbow trout has led to dieseases. Also, these trout are know to eat other native fish. Leading to the decline of salomids, to name one for example. Many other fish species are affected ny this one native species. So far, there is no known way of people trying to get rid of this species.