SAN ANTONIO – The Asian Giant Hornet has been making news recently after the invasive species first made its appearance in the United States.
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In Texas, there is already a long list of invasive species that are causing some big problems.
“As far as wildlife here some of these species that can be introduced may have habits that really deter a lot of our natural species from just even breeding, raising their young and they may be competing for the same food source,” Urban Wildlife Biologist Judit Green from Texas Parks & Wildlife said.
The common invasive species we hear of often include red imported fire ants, feral hogs and zebra mussels, but according to the Texas Invasives website, there are dozens of plant and animal non-native species throughout the state.
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“They can spread very quickly and very easily,” Green said.
Uncommon species include lionfish, nutria and green banana cockroaches.
“As an agency, of course, we try to advocate that citizens not allow their pets to free-roam around because they do impact our songbird populations as well as many other wildlife species,” Green said.
Texas Parks and Wildlife is working hard to curb these populations and want everyone to understand the importance of keeping these invasive species in check.
The Texas Invasives website includes the full lists of plants and animals that are non-native to the state as well as how to deal with an invasive species if you ever come across one.