12 Very Cute, Very Invasive Species

If you think they’re adorable, the good news is you’re going to see plenty more of them pretty quick
12 Very Cute, Very Invasive Species

Just because an animal is adorable doesnt mean its not ready to wreak havoc on an ecosystem. In fact, maybe thats all part of their master plan?

Red-Eared Slider Turtles

12 Very Cute, Very Invasive Species

Zeynel Cebeci

Red-eared sliders are a popular pet. Unfortunately, not always for their entire lifespan, which leads to them getting tossed in the nearest body of water — where they take the fuck over.

Starlings

12 Very Cute, Very Invasive Species

William Crochot

If you ran into one of these adorable little hopping guys, you might be delighted. Then, you might find out, as the author of this Audubon story did after proudly calling a wildlife center to help rehabilitate a baby starling, that said wildlife center refuses to take in starlings, due to them needing less-than-zero human help to thrive.

Capybara

12 Very Cute, Very Invasive Species

Clodomiro Esteves Junior

Ill be the first to admit that Ive sought out many a capybara photo. Theyre eminently memeable, and they take baths with little oranges on their heads. Whats not to like? Unfortunately, theyre also considered an invasive species, as Florida is currently discovering.

Bullfrogs

12 Very Cute, Very Invasive Species

Iwolfartist

Whether you consider bullfrogs cute probably depends on your texture preferences. Slime aside, I think we can all agree that they look great in photos. Theyre also an invasive predator that can pump out 20,000 eggs per pop.

Goldfish

12 Very Cute, Very Invasive Species

Wikibluff

If your parents ever told you that your goldfish was living a better life in a big lake somewhere, you should hope they were lying. When they actually are dropped in nearby bodies of water, they do quite swimmingly. They also get huge — I'm talking over a foot long. And yet, somehow I overfed them?

Cats

12 Very Cute, Very Invasive Species

Andre Karwath

“Not my little Mr. Tuxedo!” you might be exclaiming, and sure, youre right. The problem is, once you take the house out of the house cat, they become an absolute ecological menace. Any cat owners probably received a “gift” in the form of a torn-up bit of local fauna, so imagine how that kill count goes up when theyre fully wild.

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