for even quite small areas of the world would be dauntingly long. Humans have introduced more different species to new environments than any single document can hope to record. This list is generally for
with truly wild populations—not kept domestically or on ranches—that have been seen numerous times, and have breeding populations.
Australia has a huge range of introduced species, so sub-classifications are necessary:
Feral animals that cause the most public concern, and economic and ecological damage include:
| Image |
Name |
Species |
Overview |
Introduced |
Reason |
Introduced from |
Distribution |
Feral |
Pest |
Threat level |
Est. pop. |
Main control measures |
Notes / ref |
|
Cane toad The cane toad is an invasive species in Australia. The cane toad is the largest species in the family Bufonidae. Adult cane toads are usually heavy-built and weigh an average of up to 1.8kg. . Their size may vary from 15-23 cm. and their skin is warty... |
Bufo marinusThe Cane Toad , also known as the Giant Neotropical Toad or Marine Toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad which is native to Central and South America, but has been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania and the Caribbean... |
Cane toads in Australia The cane toad is an invasive species in Australia. The cane toad is the largest species in the family Bufonidae. Adult cane toads are usually heavy-built and weigh an average of up to 1.8kg. . Their size may vary from 15-23 cm. and their skin is warty... |
1935 |
Biological control (cane beetle The cane beetle, Dermolepida albohirtum, is a native Australian beetle and a pest of the sugar cane. Adult beetles eat the leaves of sugar cane but greater damage is the done by their larvae hatching underground and eating the roots, which either kills or stunts the growth of the plant.Larvae,... ) |
South America via Hawaii |
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean... (extensive), northern New South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales... , Top EndThe Top End of northern Australia is the second northernmost point on the continent. It covers a rather vaguely-defined area of perhaps 400,000 square kilometres behind the northern coast from the Northern Territory capital of Darwin across to Arnhem Land with the Indian Ocean on the west, the... , Kimberley |
No |
Yes |
Extreme |
200 million + |
Culling; trapping; genetic (under research) |
prolific breeders and bufotoxin Bufotoxins are a family of toxic substances found in the parotoid glands, skin and venom of many toads ; other amphibians; and some plants and mushrooms. The exact composition varies greatly with the specific source of the toxin. It can contain: 5-MeO-DMT, bufagins, bufotalin, bufotenine,... kills native animals |
|
Red FoxThe red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia... |
Vulpes vulpes |
Feral foxes in Australia Feral foxes pose a serious conservation problem in Australia.The red fox was introduced to Australia in the 19th century for hunting in 1843 near Melbourne, but has since become widespread, and is considered responsible for the decline in a number of species of native animals in the "critical... |
1855 |
Recreational hunting |
Europe |
most of mainland Australia; small numbers in Tasmania |
No |
Yes |
Extreme |
7.2 million + |
1080 baiting; hunting |
Elusive prolific predator of native animals and livestock. |
|
European Rabbit The European Rabbit or Common Rabbit is a species of rabbit native to south west Europe and north west Africa . It has been widely introduced elsewhere often with devastating effects on local biodiversity... |
Oryctolagus cuniculus |
Rabbits in Australia In Australia, rabbits are a serious mammalian pest and are an invasive species. Annually, European rabbits cause millions of dollars of damage to crops.-Effects on Australia's ecology:... |
1859 |
Recreational hunting |
Europe |
Throughout Australia (extensive) |
No |
Yes |
High |
200 million + |
rabbit-proof fence The State Barrier Fence of Western Australia, formerly known as the No. 1 Rabbit-proof Fence, the State Vermin Fence and the Emu Fence, is a pest-exclusion fence constructed between 1901 and 1907 to keep rabbits and other agricultural pests, from the east, out of Western Australian pastoral... ; MyxomatosisMyxomatosis is a disease that affects rabbits and is caused by the Myxoma virus. It was first observed in Uruguay in laboratory rabbits in the late 19th century. It was introduced into Australia in 1950 in an attempt to control the rabbit population... ; Calicivirus (RHD) |
Prolific breeders that destroy land. |
|
Dromedary Camel |
Camelus dromedariusThe dromedary or Arabian camel is a large, even-toed ungulate with one hump on its back. Its native range is unclear, but it was probably the Arabian Peninsula. The domesticated form occurs widely in North Africa and the Middle East... |
Australian feral camelThousands of the two main species of Australian feral camels, mostly dromedaries but also some bactrian camels, were imported into Australia during the 19th century for transport and construction as part of the colonisation of the central and western parts of Australia. Motorised transport replaced... |
1840 |
Beast of burden |
India |
Central Australia (extensive) |
Yes |
Yes |
Medium to high |
1.1 million |
Helicopter culling |
Grazer, though arid Australian conditions suit the camel perfectly. |
|
Feral goat The feral goat is the domestic goat when it has become established in the wild. Feral goats occur in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Great Britain, Hawaii, the Galapagos and in many other parts of the world... |
Capra hircusThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of... |
Feral goats in Australia Feral goats are an invasive animal species in Australia.-History:Goats originally came to Australia with the First Fleet in 1788. These goats were the ancestors of the feral goat populations present in Australia today. During the 19th Century, the goats were set free by mariners as a measure to... |
?? |
DomesticDomestication or taming is the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. In the Convention on Biological Diversity a domesticated species is defined as a 'species in which the evolutionary process has been... livestockLivestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning... |
?? |
Throughout Australia (extensive) |
Yes |
Yes |
High |
+ |
Helicopter culling |
|
| |
Feral catA feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.In many parts of... |
Felis catusThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests... |
Feral cat |
c. 1700s |
Pets |
Europe |
Throughout Australia, except in tropical rainforests (extensive) |
Yes |
Yes |
High to extreme |
?? |
Barrier fencing, shooting, trapping. Control measures effective on small islands; less so on the mainland. |
The most widely spread and invasive of all introduced species. It is possibly responsible for the extinction of some species of small mammals. |
| |
Brumby A Brumby is a free-roaming feral horse in Australia. Although found in many areas around the country, the best-known brumbies are found in the Australian Alps region in south-eastern Australia. Today, most of them are found in the Northern Territory, with the second largest population in Queensland... |
Equus ferus caballusThe horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today... |
Brumby A Brumby is a free-roaming feral horse in Australia. Although found in many areas around the country, the best-known brumbies are found in the Australian Alps region in south-eastern Australia. Today, most of them are found in the Northern Territory, with the second largest population in Queensland... |
1788 The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ... |
Farm and utility work |
Europe; some later imports from South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... and IndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an... |
Throughout Australia (extensive) |
Yes |
Yes |
Medium to high |
300,000+ |
Musters, ground and helicopter culling, fertility control |
Grazers that damage sensitive lands |
| |
Feral pig |
Sus scrofa |
Feral pig |
1788 The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ... |
DomesticDomestication or taming is the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. In the Convention on Biological Diversity a domesticated species is defined as a 'species in which the evolutionary process has been... livestockLivestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning... |
Europe |
Throughout Australia, except in deserts (extensive) |
Yes |
Yes |
High |
13 million to 23 million |
Musters, ground and helicopter culling, trapping, poisoning, fencing |
Prolific breeders that destroy land and have the potential to spread disease |
, which has a free toolkit of resources on non-native species, including a photo gallery, ID sheets, risk assessments, projects database, case studies and resources for local action groups.
Up to 26,000 plants have been introduced into New Zealand. This list is a few of the more common and more