Transcript Exotic Wildlife Species Identification - Slideshow.pptx

EXOTIC WILDLIFE
SPECIES IDENTIFICATION
#8985-G
Table of Contents
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Introduction
Types of Exotics
Introduction of Exotics
Exotic Species
Introduction
• Native habitat is made up of plants and
animals that have evolved together.
• Plants and animals attain a balance, just like
the predator-prey relationship.
• Humans offset this balance with the import of
exotic plants and animals.
• A plant or an animal becomes an exotic when it is
moved to a new environment.
• Newly introduced species do not have a natural
niche.
• Exotic plants can cover and kill native vegetation.
• Exotic animals compete for food, cover, and water.
Types of Exotics
• Many of the animals seen daily are not native
to the United States.
• A plant or animal does not have to originate in
another country to be an exotic.
• An exotic can be a species moved from one
state to another or one part of a state to
another part of the same state.
• Livestock are not native to America.
• All non-native pets are exotic, not just species such
as iguanas, parrots, and snakes.
• Plants are another type of exotic that can interfere
with native plant growth.
Introduction of Exotics
• A pure habitat is one where only native
species exist.
• People moving wild plants and animals from
one part of the world to another is a long-time
practice.
•
Animals can find their way into pure habitats.
•
Examples of unintentionally introduced exotics
include the following
• South American fire ant,
• European rat, and
• Africanized honey bee.
Above: Fire ants.
Left: Africanized honey bees
surround European queen bee.
Photos by Scott Bauer courtesy of USDA Agricultural Research Service.
• A new threat faces natural species, the exotic pet
trade.
• This becomes a problem when people tire of the
pet and release it into the wild.
• One argument for introduction of foreign species
is that they fill vacant niches.
• An example would be to introduce an exotic
species that would prey on the fire ant.
• Research is underway in this effort.
• Another argument is for the import of exotic game.
• Game animals are released into areas secured with
game-proof fences.
• People are able to then hunt these species without
having to travel all over the world.
• The arguments for restricting the import of foreign
species are that they can displace native species,
become a pest, or carry new diseases or parasites.
• Fish and game agencies have policies that deal with
exotic wildlife.
• They should be contacted before exotics are brought
onto personal property.
Exotics Species
• Just like native species, exotic species can be a
nuisance or a pest.
• The difference is that a pest can harm people,
while nuisance species are annoying or
unpleasant.
• When these species affect human activity,
people look for a way to control them.
The following are types of exotic species that will be
discussed in this presentation.
• Plants
• Insects
• Birds
• Large game mammals
• Non-game mammals
• Fish
Exotics Plants
• Hydrilla, kudzu, and macartney rose are just a
few examples of exotic plants.
• Hydrilla
• Hydrilla is a plant
introduced for the
aquatic trade. It
came from
Australia, Africa,
and parts of Asia.
• It spreads rapidly in
waterways and
forms dense mats.
Photo by Stephen Ausmus courtesy of USDA Agricultural Research Service.
• Kudzu
• Kudzu was brought
to the U. S. in 1876
for use as a garden
ornamental and was
later used by the Soil
Conservation Service
to control erosion.
• It will totally engulf
other vegetation,
buildings, and power
lines.
Photo by Peggy Greb courtesy of USDA Agricultural Research Service.
• Macartney Rose
• Macartney rose or rosehedge was brought in from
the Orient in the late 1800’s to be used as fencing.
• It has little value to wildlife for protective covering
and can take over a pasture, reducing grasses and
other vegetation available to livestock and
wildlife.
Exotics Insects
• Two exotic species of insects, the fire ant and
the Africanized honey bee, were introduced
into the United States by accident.
• Fire Ant
• Fire ants entered the United States at the port of
Mobile, Alabama and are native to South America.
• They feed on reptiles, birds, and insects and have
no natural control in the U. S.
Photo by Scott Bauer courtesy of USDA Agricultural Research Service.
Photo by Stephen Ausmus courtesy of USDA Agricultural Research Service.
• Africanized Honey Bee
• The Africanized honey bee was hybridized when
African honey bees were brought to Brazil for the
purpose of improving honey production of
European honey bees.
• In 1956, Africanized bees were accidentally
released from the research hives in Brazil and
began spreading at a rate of about 200 miles per
year.
• In October of 1990, the first Africanized bees were
found in Texas.
• In addition to taking over European honey bee hives,
Africanized bees have been linked to bee attacks on
humans and pets.
Africanized honey bee (left) and European
honey bee.
Photo by Scott Bauer courtesy of USDA Agricultural Research Service.
Photo by Scott Bauer courtesy of USDA Agricultural Research Service.
Exotics Birds
• Non-game and game birds have been
introduced.
• The English sparrow and starling compete
with native birds for food and nesting sites.
• The English sparrow, or house sparrow, has
reduced the bluebird population.
English (House) Sparrow
Passer domesticus
Photo by John Mosesso courtesy of National Biological Information Infrastructure.
Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Photo by Lee Karney courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Several types of fowl have been introduced such as
game birds (hunting), novelty birds (ornamental),
and ratites.
• Below are a few examples discussed in this
presentation.
• Ring-necked pheasant
• Peafowl
• Ostrich
• Emu
• Rhea
• Ring-necked Pheasant
Phasianus colchicus
• The ring-necked pheasant is a popular game bird
with a chicken-like appearance.
• It was the first game bird introduced into the U. S.
Photo courtesy of USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Photo courtesy of USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
• Peafowl
• The peafowl, a native of India and Ceylon, is largely
ornamental because of the recognized tail display
of the peacock.
Photo by Lee Karney courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
IMS Photo
• Ratites
• The ostrich, emu, and rhea are ratites, or large
flightless fowl.
• The ostrich is the largest and is native to Africa.
• The emu is from Australia and is the second
largest of the three.
• Rheas can be white or gray and are native to
South America.
Ostrich
Photo by Gary Stolz courtesy of USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Emu
Photo by Larry Rana courtesy of USDA Online Photography Center.
Rhea
IMS Photo
IMS Photo
Large Game Mammals
• Many ranchers have capitalized on large game
hunting.
• Special fences and facilities contain a variety
of exotic game animals.
• People pay to hunt these animals.
• Exotic game animal ownership has more
hunting freedom than native species.
• Below are exotic game animals currently hunted on
Texas game ranches.
• Aoudad
• Nilgai
• Axis deer
• European wild hog
• Blackbuck antelope
• Feral hog
• Elk
• Sika deer
• Fallow deer
• Aoudad (Barbary Sheep)
• The aoudad is a native of the Atlas Mountains of
Northern Africa.
• They are also known as Barbary sheep.
• They feed on the same plants as mule deer and
bighorn sheep.
IMS Photo
• Axis Deer
• The axis deer are native to India and Ceylon.
• They have impressive antlers.
• Axis deer prefer grass, but will eat browse.
• They compete with the native white-tailed deer.
IMS Photo
• Blackbuck Antelope
• The blackbuck antelope is native to India and
originally introduced for their aesthetic value.
• Now, they are a valued commercial hunting
species.
IMS Photo
IMS Photo
• Elk (Wapiti)
• Elk were once native to the Guadalupe Mountains
in Texas.
• Also called the wapiti, the elk is a large, deer-like
species and popular game ranch species.
Photo by Gary Zahm courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Photo by Jim Leupold courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Fallow Deer
• The fallow deer is native to the Mediterranean
region of Europe and Asia Minor.
• Fallow deer have large palmate antlers.
• Their feeding habits compete with the whitetailed deer.
IMS Photo
• Nilgai Antelope
• Nilgai antelope are native to India and Pakistan.
• They travel in herds of 10 or more and feed on
grasses and browse.
IMS Photo
• European Wild Hogs and Feral Hogs
• European wild hogs and feral hogs are similar, but
easily distinguishable and can hybridize.
• Feral hogs resemble their domestic counterparts
and the Hampshire, Duroc, or Spotted Poland
China breed characteristics are easily visible.
• The wild hogs damage cultivated crops and
pastures.
Russian Boar
IMS Photo
Feral Hog
Photo courtesy of USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
• Sika Deer
• Sika deer are native to Siberia and parts of Japan,
China, and Formosa.
• They have hybridized with native species.
• They feed on grasses, leaves, twigs, and tender
shoots of woody plants.
IMS Photo
Non-Game Mammals
• The house mouse, Norway rat and nutria are
examples of non-game animals.
• House Mouse
• The house mouse closely associates with people
and eats practically anything, but prefers
vegetable materials and grains.
• Both the house mouse and the Norway rat are
found more in the eastern part of Texas.
IMS Photo
• Norway Rat
• The Norway rat escaped from ships that sailed
from England.
• They are larger than the mouse and are known to
carry disease and parasites.
• They are actually more dangerous to people than
rattlesnakes.
IMS Photo
• Nutria
• The nutria is a large aquatic rodent that
resembles a beaver, except for the tail.
• It was imported for use in the fur trade.
• Nutria rapidly destroy wetland vegetation and
compete with muskrats and waterfowl.
IMS Photo
Fish
• Two exotic fish inhabit Texas waters, the
talapia and several species of grass carp.
• Tilapia
• The tilapia is a native of Africa and is also known
as the Nile perch.
• It is very popular in the aquaculture industry.
• Tilapia are herbivores and cannot live when
water temperature drops below 60˚F.
Photo by Duane Raver courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Grass Carp
• Several species of grass carp are now common in
Texas.
• They were first imported from Europe for fishing,
but later to control thick vegetation in
waterways.
• They can destroy habitat and compete with more
desirable species.
Photo by Eric Engbretson courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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Reproduction or redistribution of all, or part, of this presentation
without written permission is prohibited.
Instructional Materials Service
Texas A&M University
2588 TAMUS
College Station, Texas 77843-2588
http://www-ims.tamu.edu
2006