Invasive animals are introduced multicellular organisms of the kingdom Animalia. Examples of invasive animals include mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects.

What is an Invasive Species? An invasive animal has the ability to thrive and spread aggressively outside its native range. A naturally aggressive animal may be especially invasive when it is introduced to a new habitat.

Invasive aquatic animal species are included in our Aquatic Species - Aquatic Invasive Animals section.

Use our Animals Custom Search Engine to search for invasive species information included in this section of NISIC's site:

Listed below are the animal species for which we have completed species profiles - general information about animal species commonly known as invasive. This is not a list of all invasive animal species, nor does it have any regulatory implications. These profiles are provided as an educational informational tool.

Invertebrate Invasive Species
Invertebrate species are animals which lack a spine or backbone. Example species include spiders and other insects; round, segmented, and flat worms; jellyfish; squids; sponges; and others.

Insects / Other Invertebrates

Africanized Honeybee (Apis mellifera scutellata)
Asian Citrus Psyllid (Diaphorina citri)
Asian Long-Horned Beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis)
Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus)
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys)
Cactus Moth (Cactoblastis cactorum)
Chilli Thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis)
Citrus Longhorned Beetle (Anoplophora chinensis)
Common Pine Shoot Beetle (Tomicus piniperda)
Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)
European Grapevine Moth (Lobesia botrana)
European Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar)
European Spruce Bark Beetle (Ips typographus)
Formosan Subterranean Termite (Coptotermes formosanus)
Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis)
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae)
Khapra Beetle (Trogoderma granarium)
Kudzu Bug (Megacopta cribraria)
Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana)
Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Ceratitis capitata)
Mexican Fruit Fly (Anastrepha ludens)
Oriental Fruit Fly (Bactrocera dorsalis)
Pink Bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella)
Pink Hibiscus Mealybug (Maconellicoccus hirsutus)
Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta)
Russian Wheat Aphid (Diuraphis noxia)
Silverleaf Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci)
Sirex Woodwasp (Sirex noctilio)

Other Invertebrates

Giant African Snail (Lissachatina fulica)
Soybean Cyst Nematode (Heterodera glycines)

Vertebrate Invasive Species
Vertebrate species are animals with backbones or spinal columns. In some cases closely related species such as the hagfish which lack a spine but have a bony skull or cranium are included in the group. Example species include: bony fish; sharks; rays; amphibians; reptiles; mammals; and birds.

Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis)
Burmese Python (Python molurus bivittatus)
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Wild Boar (Sus scrofa)

Species not Established in the U.S.
Provides examples of species of concern and why we must increase our efforts in early detection and rapid response and the prevention of new introductions.