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FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Filter Total Items: 70

What is buffelgrass?

Buffelgrass is a perennial grass from Africa that is invasive to the Sonoran Desert of the Southwest United States, where it threatens desert ecosystems by out-competing native plants and altering fire regimes. It has the potential to transform the Sonoran Desert ecosystem from a diverse assemblage of plants to a grassland monoculture. Buffelgrass was brought to Arizona in the 1930s for erosion...

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What is buffelgrass?

Buffelgrass is a perennial grass from Africa that is invasive to the Sonoran Desert of the Southwest United States, where it threatens desert ecosystems by out-competing native plants and altering fire regimes. It has the potential to transform the Sonoran Desert ecosystem from a diverse assemblage of plants to a grassland monoculture. Buffelgrass was brought to Arizona in the 1930s for erosion...

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Can invasive pythons be eradicated?

The odds of eradicating an introduced population of reptiles once it has spread across a large area is very low – pointing to the importance of prevention, early detection, and rapid response. With the Burmese python now distributed across more than a thousand square miles of southern Florida, including all of Everglades National Park and across the southern coast to Rookery Bay National Estuarine...

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Can invasive pythons be eradicated?

The odds of eradicating an introduced population of reptiles once it has spread across a large area is very low – pointing to the importance of prevention, early detection, and rapid response. With the Burmese python now distributed across more than a thousand square miles of southern Florida, including all of Everglades National Park and across the southern coast to Rookery Bay National Estuarine...

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Are large constrictor snakes such as Burmese pythons able to kill people? What is the risk?  Would this be in the wild, or in backyards?

Human fatalities from non-venomous snakes are very rare, probably averaging one or two per year worldwide. All known constrictor-snake fatalities in the United States are from captive snakes; these are split between deaths of snake owners who were purposefully interacting with their pet and deaths of small children or infants in homes where a snake was kept captive as a pet. There have been no...

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Are large constrictor snakes such as Burmese pythons able to kill people? What is the risk?  Would this be in the wild, or in backyards?

Human fatalities from non-venomous snakes are very rare, probably averaging one or two per year worldwide. All known constrictor-snake fatalities in the United States are from captive snakes; these are split between deaths of snake owners who were purposefully interacting with their pet and deaths of small children or infants in homes where a snake was kept captive as a pet. There have been no...

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Are invasive carp dangerous?

Silver carp (a variety of invasive carp) are easily disturbed and will jump as much as 10 feet into the air in response to rocks thrown in the water, passing trains, geese taking off from the water, or just when they unexpectedly find themselves in a tight place. They also jump at the sound of outboard motors, often landing in boats and sometimes striking the passengers. With a boat speed of over...

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Are invasive carp dangerous?

Silver carp (a variety of invasive carp) are easily disturbed and will jump as much as 10 feet into the air in response to rocks thrown in the water, passing trains, geese taking off from the water, or just when they unexpectedly find themselves in a tight place. They also jump at the sound of outboard motors, often landing in boats and sometimes striking the passengers. With a boat speed of over...

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Can I eat Asian carp?

Invasive carp of all types have white, firm, mild flesh, which is excellent table fare, but all Invasive carp also have intramuscular bones in the filets that many people find undesirable. Invasive carp feed low on the food web, are fast growing, are low in fat in the filets, and are not usually bottom feeders — all properties of fish that are lower in contaminants. Like any fish taken from inland...

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Can I eat Asian carp?

Invasive carp of all types have white, firm, mild flesh, which is excellent table fare, but all Invasive carp also have intramuscular bones in the filets that many people find undesirable. Invasive carp feed low on the food web, are fast growing, are low in fat in the filets, and are not usually bottom feeders — all properties of fish that are lower in contaminants. Like any fish taken from inland...

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Is it possible to eradicate Invasive carp once they are in an area?

Eradicating an established population of invasive carp would be extremely difficult and expensive, if possible at all. Potential control methods include the use of fish poisons, physical barriers, physical removal, habitat alteration, or the addition of predators, parasites, or pathogens. Research on invasive carp control is ongoing and documents on the subject are provided through the Invasive...

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Is it possible to eradicate Invasive carp once they are in an area?

Eradicating an established population of invasive carp would be extremely difficult and expensive, if possible at all. Potential control methods include the use of fish poisons, physical barriers, physical removal, habitat alteration, or the addition of predators, parasites, or pathogens. Research on invasive carp control is ongoing and documents on the subject are provided through the Invasive...

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What are Invasive Carp?

Carp are not native to North American waters, but various carp species have been introduced here since the mid-1800s, much to the detriment of native fish. Although carp eradication measures have been active for over 100 years, long-established species, like the common carp, are present in almost every state. Invasive carp (bighead, black, grass, and silver carp) were imported to the United States...

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What are Invasive Carp?

Carp are not native to North American waters, but various carp species have been introduced here since the mid-1800s, much to the detriment of native fish. Although carp eradication measures have been active for over 100 years, long-established species, like the common carp, are present in almost every state. Invasive carp (bighead, black, grass, and silver carp) were imported to the United States...

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What is an Asian swamp eel and what does it look like?

Swamp eels are freshwater fish, but they are not closely related to other living eels or snake-like marine and freshwater fishes. In addition to the name swamp eel, other English common names used for members of this group of fish include rice eel, rice-paddy eel, and belut. The swamp eel family includes more than a dozen species. Asian swamp eels may be confused with a number of native animals...

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What is an Asian swamp eel and what does it look like?

Swamp eels are freshwater fish, but they are not closely related to other living eels or snake-like marine and freshwater fishes. In addition to the name swamp eel, other English common names used for members of this group of fish include rice eel, rice-paddy eel, and belut. The swamp eel family includes more than a dozen species. Asian swamp eels may be confused with a number of native animals...

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Why are bats important?

By eating insects, bats save U.S. agriculture billions of dollars per year in pest control. Some studies have estimated that service to be worth over 3.7 billion dollars per year, and possibly as much as 53 billion dollars per year. This value does not, however, take into account the volume of insects eaten by bats in forest ecosystems and the degree to which that benefits industries like lumber...

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Why are bats important?

By eating insects, bats save U.S. agriculture billions of dollars per year in pest control. Some studies have estimated that service to be worth over 3.7 billion dollars per year, and possibly as much as 53 billion dollars per year. This value does not, however, take into account the volume of insects eaten by bats in forest ecosystems and the degree to which that benefits industries like lumber...

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Are invasive snakes dangerous?

Free-ranging snakes representing dozens of species from around the world are discovered in the United States in any given year, usually as a result of escapees or releases from the pet trade, but most of these don't appear to have established a reproductive population. Any animal can be problematic when released in places where it is not native. For example, the Brown Treesnake was introduced to...

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Are invasive snakes dangerous?

Free-ranging snakes representing dozens of species from around the world are discovered in the United States in any given year, usually as a result of escapees or releases from the pet trade, but most of these don't appear to have established a reproductive population. Any animal can be problematic when released in places where it is not native. For example, the Brown Treesnake was introduced to...

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What is an invasive species and why are they a problem?

An invasive species is an introduced, nonnative organism (disease, parasite, plant, or animal) that begins to spread or expand its range from the site of its original introduction and that has the potential to cause harm to the environment, the economy, or to human health. A few well-known examples include the unintentional introduction of the West Nile virus, chestnut blight, the South American...

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What is an invasive species and why are they a problem?

An invasive species is an introduced, nonnative organism (disease, parasite, plant, or animal) that begins to spread or expand its range from the site of its original introduction and that has the potential to cause harm to the environment, the economy, or to human health. A few well-known examples include the unintentional introduction of the West Nile virus, chestnut blight, the South American...

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Are bats blind? 

No, bats are not blind. Bats have small eyes with very sensitive vision, which helps them see in conditions we might consider pitch black. They don’t have the sharp and colorful vision humans have, but they don’t need that. Think of bat vision as similar to a dark-adapted Mr. Magoo (a cartoon character with very poor vision). Learn more at the USGS North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)...

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Are bats blind? 

No, bats are not blind. Bats have small eyes with very sensitive vision, which helps them see in conditions we might consider pitch black. They don’t have the sharp and colorful vision humans have, but they don’t need that. Think of bat vision as similar to a dark-adapted Mr. Magoo (a cartoon character with very poor vision). Learn more at the USGS North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)...

Learn More