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The common drone fly is the most globally distributed species of syrphid in the world, and exists in all regions except the Antarctic. They have been introduced into North America and are heavily established. These flies can be found in gardens and fields in Europe and Australia, and have also […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

Sea scallops are a cosmopolitan family of bivalves found in all of the world’s oceans. However, they are not found in any body of freshwater. These bivalves suffer from lowered pH levels that make it difficult for their larvae to calcify and build healthy shells. Nutrient runoff causes algae blooms […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The European green crab, aka shore crab or green shore crab, is a widespread invasive species, that is listed among the 100 of the world’s worst invasive alien species. While native to the north-east Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea, in Europe, they have colonized similar habitats in Asia, Australia, South […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Argentine ant is a highly invasive species of ant that causes an incredible amount of harm to communities of native arthropods, vertebrates, and plants within their invaded range. They hail, originally, from Argentina in South America. They face the threat of being outcompeted by fire ants. Their extreme genetic […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The drugstore beetle, aka bread beetle, biscuit beetle, and often misnamed the biscuit weevil (seeing as they aren’t weevils), can be found worldwide. These beetles have a symbiotic relationship with a yeast-like fungus which is transmitted from female to larvae through the oviduct. They face the threats of predatory beetles, […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The velvet ant, aka cow killer, is not actually an ant at all, but rather a wasp. The females are wingless and carry with them a powerful sting! While there are no listed threats to these wasps, they do face habitat loss and destruction at the hands of residential and […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The varied carpet beetle is a globally distributed pest beetle that can be found on every continent, sans Antarctica. They can be found anywhere from bird’s nests to inside homes. These beetles are considered an invasive species, even though they occur naturally in some locales. Therefore, the IUCN does not […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Cuvier’s beaked whale, aka goose-beaked whale or ziphius, the most widely distributed of the beaked whales, is smaller than most baleen whales, and the larger toothed cetaceans; like sperm whales or orcas. Even though they have an incredible dive depth, they are the most frequently-spotted beaked whales when they […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The phantom jellyfish, aka giant phantom jelly, is the only known species in the genus of deep sea jellyfish, Stygiomedusa. They belong to the Ulmaridae family. While not currently evaluated by the IUCN, these jellies likely face the threats of deep-sea fishing, mining, and oil exploration. Their population trend is […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The largehead hairtail, aka beltfish, Atlantic cutlassfish, Pacific cutlassfish, or Japanese cutlassfish, is a predatory elongated fish that can be found off the shores of every continent, sans Antarctica. They face the threats of overfishing; land pollution; water pollution, in the form of mercury poisoning; and microplastics pollution. However, they […]

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