Chapter 1 WHAT ARE ANIMAL INVADERS crates from China arrive at a busy warehouse in the United States Workers are so busy unpacking Wooden Wooden the materials that they do not notice a black beetle peeking out from one of the crates The beetle scurries across the floor and underneath the warehouse door Invasive species can travel to new locations on cargo ships 4
DID YOU KNOW Technology has made it easier for people to travel farther People in the United States also consume many products that are imported from other countries Increased travel and importation raise the risk of carrying an invasive species to a new location Sugar cane farmers in Hawaii have a problem with insects eating their crops The farmers import the cane toad from South America to eat the insects The toads grow very large and breed rapidly They are poisonous to anything that tries to eat them Now the cane toads are the real pests These are examples of animal invaders The animals are brought to a new environment Sometimes they are brought accidentally and sometimes on purpose These animals have invaded parts of the United States They have caused problems in their new habitats They have become invasive species 5
