native

In 1865, a physician brought Indian mynas to Hawaii to eat armyworms; the birds spread and can compete with native birds for nesting sites

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In 1865, a physician brought Indian mynas to Hawaii to eat armyworms; the birds spread and can compete with native birds for nesting sites

A bird built for city life As it turned out, mynas could do more than just eat caterpillars. In a 1933 description posted on the university’s page, E. L. Caum, an ornithologist, wrote that the bird also eats house scraps, fruits, grains, insects, and grubs. Its diverse diet seems to make it easy for the … Read more

On St. Croix, mongooses came in 1884 to protect cane; they were later linked to native ground lizard loss and a racers presumed extinction

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The small Indian mongoose, introduced to St. Croix to protect sugar cane from rats. (Wikimedia Commons)

In 1884, St. Croix had a rat problem in its sugarcane fields, and a small predator seemed like the perfect answer. According to a study in the journal Oryx by Nicole Angeli and Lee Fitzgerald, small Indian mongooses were brought to the island to control those rats. Over the following decades, a native lizard disappeared … Read more

Around 1870, America imported Asian porcelain berry for gardens; its fast-growing vines now smother native plants along eastern forest edges

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In 1778, Captain Cook left goats in Hawaii as food and gifts; centuries later, feral herds had severely stripped native plants and worsened erosion

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HT US Desk

The Hindustan Times US Desk brings you the latest news and developments from across the United States. The team covers everything from breaking news and politics to sports, business, entertainment and stories that are trending across the country. Our coverage includes the White House, Congress, US elections, immigration and visa updates, H-1B, green cards, Social … Read more

In the 1950s, the US pet trade began importing caimans; decades later, they may be competing with native crocodilians in the Everglades wetlands

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The spectacled caiman, a small crocodilian, now lives in parts of the Florida Everglades. (Wikimedia Commons)

There’s a small reptile that looks like a baby alligator somewhere in the Florida Everglades, living far from its home in Central and South America. That’s the story of the spectacled caiman. According to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers news release, caimans have been established in Florida since the 1970s and were spotted there … Read more

In 1793, Captain Vancouver gifted cattle to Hawaiis king; decades later, feral herds tore through crops and altered native island ecosystems

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A few cattle given as a gift in 1793 became a lasting force on Hawaii’s land. (AI-generated/ChatGPT)

In 1793, a ship captain gifted a few cattle to a Hawaiian king. It might have looked like a friendly gesture at the time, but the effects lasted for generations. The National Park Service explains that Captain George Vancouver brought cattle to Hawaii Island as a gift for Kamehameha. The Hawaiian king ordered that the … Read more

Texas brought aoudad sheep from Africa for hunters in the 1950s; they spread widely and now compete with native bighorn for food and habitat

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Aoudad (Barbary sheep), native to northern Africa and first released in Texas in 1957. (Wikimedia Commons)

A new animal can often seem like a small addition to a landscape, but things can go wrong very fast. Aoudad are native to northern Africa, but were introduced into the wild in Palo Duro Canyon, Texas, in 1957, according to a 2025 Texas A&M AgriLife Extension fact sheet. Since then, these long-horned sheep have … Read more

A Florida homeowner replaced a struggling lawn with cardboard, mulch, and native plants to create a bird- and pollinator-friendly garden

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HT US Desk

The Hindustan Times US Desk brings you the latest news and developments from across the United States. The team covers everything from breaking news and politics to sports, business, entertainment and stories that are trending across the country. Our coverage includes the White House, Congress, US elections, immigration and visa updates, H-1B, green cards, Social … Read more

White sweetclover was introduced to Alaska as a roadside fix in 1916; it escaped into river floodplains where native seedling mortality was 50% higher

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HT US Desk

The Hindustan Times US Desk brings you the latest news and developments from across the United States. The team covers everything from breaking news and politics to sports, business, entertainment and stories that are trending across the country. Our coverage includes the White House, Congress, US elections, immigration and visa updates, H-1B, green cards, Social … Read more

In 1868, Hong Kong gifted Hawaii 8 axis deer in goodwill; their descendants now number about 60,000 and damage crops, native plants, and forests

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Eight axis deer arrived in 1868; their descendants now number about 60,000. (Wikimedia Commons)

Eight axis deer, a goodwill gift from Hong Kong, were released on Molokaʻi in 1868. Today their descendants number in the tens of thousands, and they eat crops and native plants and damage forests. According to the U.S. Geological Survey fact sheet, Hawaii’s native plants evolved without grazing animals, which can make them vulnerable to … Read more