"Creatures develop many defenses to help them survive. Birds that live in areas with meat-eating creatures on the ground build their nests up high. If there are no trees, some birds can balance on narrow rocky cliffs and lay uneven eggs that will not roll off."

An exotic species can be a plant, an animal, or even a disease that travels far to reach a new home. A snake slithers onto an airplane. Beetles hide in a suitcase. Or perhaps mosquito larvae cross the ocean in a barrel on a ship.

Sometimes the traveler finds itself in a new place where the climate is perfect and the food is plentiful. Best of all for this invader, the predators and diseases that usually keep it in check do not exist in this new home. As a result, its population will multiply with breathtaking speed. Quickly it can cause the extinction of species already in the area.

Exotic species are one of the biggest problems for the natural world today. To save what we can of our unique environments, we must identify and understand the threat of exotic species.


Reviews:

What happens when a new and different species of plant or animal is introduced into an ecosystem? This book provides an answer to that question by examining a variety of these "exotic" species and their impacts on their new homes. The first chapter sets the stage for the discussion with a look at animal relationships and nature's own system of checks and balances. The following chapters focus on individual species such as the starling, zebra mussel, and kudzu vine. The discussion is well balanced; the author is careful to look at both the positive and negative aspects of these invasions. However, the reality is that the harm the invaders cause usually outweighs any initial good, and the examples provided make this fact abundantly clear. Methods of controlling exotic species are also examined. The final chapters look at the actions humans are taking to help restore natural balances to environments that have become victims to these invasions. The text is well written in clear, lively language. The accompanying color photos help to illustrate the subject under discussion. --School Library Journal