Alien invasion! PREDATORS THAT KILL OUR NATIVE WILDLIFE.Byline: TONY ALLEN ALIENS have invaded Ireland - and they haven't come in peace. But even though many of them are green, they are not little green men. They are a fearsome swarm of foreign plants, animals and insects. Their claws, fangs, pincers pin·cers also pinch·ers pl.n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb) 1. A grasping tool having a pair of jaws and handles pivoted together to work in opposition. 2. and tentacles make them perfect predators. And their only mission is to destroy our native wildlife while spreading disease. Battling conservationists have now named and shamed the most dangerous predators on a " most unwanted" list. Among them are: Crabs the size of small children Cannibal-killer ladybirds - known to bite humans, and Fish carrying plague-like diseases that can infect humans. There are 385 established alien species and 171 potential invaders on both sides of the border. Their invasion is so overwhelming that combating it costs Ireland and Britain at least EUR EUR In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Euro. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. 2billion a year. Environmentalists from Invasive Species Ireland fear dozens more are set to land. Here we show a dirty dozen of the worst - and the most deadly ones still waiting to pounce. Curly waterweed Aggressive plant species that chokes waterways with dense vegetation, depriving fish of oxygen. It spread from South Africa to Europe, Ireland and Britain. A serious threat to tourism, angling and boating. New Zealand Flat worm First recorded in Ireland in 1963 when it may have arrived with a shipment of flowers from New Zealand. Eradicates native earthworms vital for maintaining local ecosystems.. Non-native crayfish crayfish or crawfish, freshwater crustacean smaller than but structurally very similar to its marine relative the lobster, and found in ponds and streams in most parts of the world except Africa. Crayfish grow some 3 to 4 in. (7.6–10. Out-competes native crayfish, eats Out-competes native crayfish, eats its young and expands numbers rapidly, colonising over 1km of water a year. Burrows into riverbanks creating a honeycomb of tunnels, which can then collapse and damage the banks.. Red King crab Introduced deliberately to the Barents Sea in the 1960s by meddling Russian scientists, the Red King crab has munched all marine life in its path since. Among the largest crab species in the world, it is largely free of predators and has flourished in the waters around Spain and Portugal, and is quickly colonising the seas around Norway. Grows to 11lb - four times the size of the local Irish variety. Native to Alaska and the North Pacific, but could be on its way here. With its long legs the Red King roams the seabed with surprising speed and being anomnivore will eat everything from cod larvae Larvae, in Roman religion Larvae: see lemures. to other crabs. But it's not all bad, as the crab is considered a delicacy in Russia and fetches big money at market. Didemnum water predator Strange forms that Strange forms that hang from docks and ship hulls, choking out native seaweed, scallops, mussels, and oysters. Also produces noxious substances that drive back most fish.. Fishhook waterflea Its long spiny spiny sharp spines protrude. spiny amaranth amaranthusspinosum. spiny anteater see echidna. spiny clotburr xanthiumspinosum. spiny emex see emex australis. tail contains eggs that allow it to spread fast. A voracious predator, it competes with other invertebrates and even vertebrates. Originally from the Caspian and Black seas, it is found in small coastal lakes here. Its long spiny tail is infamous for fouling fishing tackle. Wild boar Monster porker could expand unchallenged in Ireland and harm crop production and transmit disease to livestock. They uproot large areas of land, eliminating native vegetation - and have attacked humans. Giant hogweed Sap contains a toxic chemical that sensitises skin and can leads to severe blistering. Forms dense colonies that suppress growth of native plants. Chinese mitten crab The Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis), also known as big binding crab (大閘蟹) and Shanghai hairy crab (上海毛蟹), is a medium-sized burrowing crab found in the coastal estuaries of eastern Asia from Out-muscles native species with its giant claws and brutal attacks. It burrows into riverbanks and hosts a parasitic lung fluke that can infect mammals including humans. Harlequin ladybird Arrived four years ago in UK but has spread quickly. The menaces from East Asia feed on aphids but are partial to all sorts of small insects. Will even munch on people's flesh in their search for prey. Salmon parasite Less than half a millimetre in size, but can cause serious damage. Effects of the disease they spread are so serious that salmon stocks have now been lost completely from more than 20 Norwegian rivers. It's vital our salmon stock are not hit by the bug. Feral Ferret Hunters who hit bird populations and rabbits. Currently established on Rathlin Island and the border counties of Monaghan, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Armagh. A domesticated do·mes·ti·cate tr.v. do·mes·ti·cat·ed, do·mes·ti·cat·ing, do·mes·ti·cates 1. To cause to feel comfortable at home; make domestic. 2. To adopt or make fit for domestic use or life. 3. a. form of the European polecat polecat, carnivorous mammal of the weasel family. The name refers especially to the common Old World polecat, Mustela putorius, found in wooded areas of N Eurasia and N Africa. , they have been introduced to control rabbits and rodents in Britain and other parts of the world Ferrets are increasingly becoming a household pet and in some instances have escaped or were released. |
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