Eradication of Invasive Rodents on Islands of the United States

Many invasive rodents have become established in the United States and its territories. The list of invasive species includes several species of rats (Rattus spp.), house mice (Mus musculus), nutria (Myocastor coypus), Gambian giant pouched rats (Cricetomys gambianus), arctic ground squirrels (Sperm...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Witmer, Gary W.
Format: Text
Language:unknown
Published: DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 2012
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Online Access:https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdm_usdanwrc/1216
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/icwdm_usdanwrc/article/2214/viewcontent/Witmer_P14WDMC_2012_Eradication_of_Invasive_Rodents.pdf
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Summary:Many invasive rodents have become established in the United States and its territories. The list of invasive species includes several species of rats (Rattus spp.), house mice (Mus musculus), nutria (Myocastor coypus), Gambian giant pouched rats (Cricetomys gambianus), arctic ground squirrels (Spermophilus undulates), hoary marmots (Marmota caligata), voles (Microtus spp.), and deer mice (Peromyscus spp.). Some were introduced inadvertently (e.g., stowaways on ships or in cargo) while others were introduced purposefully (e.g., for the fur industry). Other less common reasons include rodents being put on islands as a source of food for people or introduced foxes and rodents put on islands to study rodent species interactions. In many cases, these rodents have caused serious damage to native flora and fauna, agriculture, and other resources and have resulted in disease introductions (e.g., Howald et al. 2007, Witmer and Proulx 2010, Witmer and Singleton 2010, Fall et al. 2011).