MOST INVASIVE SPECIES The ship rat is very similar to the common rat, but has bigger eyes and ears and a longer, thinner tail. Ship rats are smaller than common rats and their average body length is 240 mm and their average tail length is 260 mm. Their weight usually ranges between 150 and 200 grams. Ship rats are also known as black rats because of their black color (4). Because ship rats prefer enclosed spaces and dislike like the cold, they tend to make their homes in buildings, houses, and ships. When they make their homes in ships, they are transferred from their native habitat to wherever the ship carrying them goes. Most of the time their destination is an island where other small animals, mainly birds, are prevalent. The ship rats are these animals' predators and because these animals are not used to being predated by rats, they do not know how to defend themselves (1). Ship rats are drastically decreasing the bird population on islands. Today, 102 of the 328 seabird species are considered endangered. Bird species that make nests on the ground or spend alot of time near the island surface are most likely to be victims of the ship rats because they are easier to be predated (1). Common Name: Ship Rat Scientific Name: Rattus rattus Where on Earth is it a problem: Ship rats are a problem mainly on islands because they are brought over on ships as stowaways and are a non native species. Ship rats have infested about 90% of the worlds islands. A particular case of an invaded island is "Rat Island" located in Alaska's Aleutian Island chain. (3) Where did it come from?: Ship rats are native to Europe and many countries in Asia, specifically India. (2)
Most Endangered Gorillas are very family oriented and tend to stay close to home. They live in close groups with between 5 to 30 members and these groups are led by a patriarch. There are only three different kinds of gorillas, the Eastern Lowland Gorilla, the Western Lowland Gorilla, and the Mountain Gorilla (6). Gorillas are endangered due to human actions. Logging and agriculture are decreasing the forrests and destroying their habitats. Because the forrests are shrinking, the gorillas are more exposed and are more likely to be hunted by poachers (6). Today the number of Eastern Lowland Gorillas has dropped below 5,000 and the number of Mountain Gorillas is at a shockly low 700. The gorilla is currently on the endangered species list and people are making efforts to stop the destruction of their habitats and to protect the animal from going extinct (7). Common Name: Gorilla Scientific Name: Gorilla gorilla or Gorilla beringei Where does it live?: All three types of gorillas live in the mountain and rainforrest regions of central and western Africa. (6)
Favorite Keystone There are thousands of different species of dung beetles, but one thing they all have in common is that they all eat feces. There are three different types of dung beetles. One type, known as the dwellers, just lives in dung. Another type, called the rollers, rolls dung into balls and eats it or uses it as a place to hatch its larve. The third type, the tunnelers, buries the dung in the ground (9). All three of these types of beetles help plants grow by churning and aerating the soil and by spreading the dung which works like a natural fertilizer. They also improve water quality by collecting the dung so it doesn't contaminate the water sources and they increase water infiltration into the soil (APES textbook). Without dung beetles, there would be an overwhelming amount of feces and the ecosystem would not work in hamony like it does with the help of the dung beetle (APES textbook). Common Name: Dung Beetle Scientific Name: Onthophagus gazella (Fabricius) Where does it live?: Dung Beetles live almost everywhere (except antarctica) because there are feces to be collected everywhere.
Coolest Predator Adaptation The piranha is a ferocious type of fish that lives in the Amazon River. There are 20 different kinds of piranha, but only about 5 of these are dangerous. What makes piranhas such great predators is their razor sharp teeth. Their teeth are an adaptation that gives them the ability to eat almost anything. They eat other fish, cattle that are in the river for a drink, and even people. Because of what they eat, piranhas are classified as carnivores and are known for their huge appetites (11). Piranhas are also unique predators in that they travel and "hunt" for food in groups. They seem to strategize when attacking their prey and work together to bring down animals much larger than they are. This kind of teamwork adaptation could have evolved to compensate for their small size (12). Common Name: Piranha (red-bellied piranha) Scientific Name: Pygocentrus nattereri Where does it live?: Piranha are found in the Amazon River. (11)
Coolest Prey Adaptation The peppered moth is a type of moth that has adapted to its environment to avoid being eaten by its main predator, birds. There are two types of peppered moths. They are both the same structurally and are considered to be the same species, but one is light and one is dark. Both types of these moths have a speckled print that looks like the bark of the tree they rest on during the day. This allows for the moths to be camouflaged so the birds cannot easily find and eat them. This type of camouflage is called cryptic coloration (15). The peppered moth is also famous for its evolution during the last 200 years. The light peppered moths were more prevalent than the dark peppered moths until about 200 years ago when pollution started to increase. The light moths were better suited for the types of trees they rested on because these trees tended to be lighter. When pollution increased, the trees became darker causing the darker moths to be better suited for resting on the tree and camouflaging. Eventually the lighter moth population decreased, because they were more visible to the birds, and the darker moths became more prevalent. This situation shows how important the moths' adaptation of camouflage is for its survival (14). Common Name: Peppered Moth Scientific Name: Biston betularia Where does it live?: The peppered moth lives in Europe, parts of Asia (mostly China and Japan), and North America (specifically Georgia).