Some readers of recent Smithsonian stories on wild pigs in Texas and the world's worst invasive mammals list have argued that we may have left out the worst invasive species of them all: Homo sapiens. But are humans really an invasive species? Let's start with the definition of an invasive species. read more
We humans invented the term "invasive species", to label species that we ourselves have directly or indirectly introduced in an environment where the species was not found before, and as a consequence of this introduction, the species causes harm to the environment, other species, or to humans. read more
1) An invasive species is widespread: Humans, which can be found on every continent, floating on every ocean and even circling the skies above certainly meet this aspect of invasiveness. 2) An invasive species has to be a non-native: Humans had colonized every continent but Antarctica by about 15,000 years ago. read more