Alex Francavilla - Week 6 - We Are But Animals
The concept of invasive species is not all unfamiliar to even those without significant environmental knowledge. Invasive species originate in one environment and spread to other environments where they can more easily exploit resources—due in part to the lack of natural predators in their new environment. Most invasive species are also generalists, meaning their diets and behaviors are more adaptable to both their original and new environments (as opposed to specialists, such as koalas). Invasive species run rampant in countries across the globe; so much so that there is an entire Science Olympiad event (I’m sorry, I had to) dedicated to solely studying invasive species called, fittingly, Invasive Species.
Now, there is absolutely no shortage of invasive species: the emerald ash borer, spotted lanternfly, Asian longhorn beetle, Asian tiger mosquito, cane toad, American bullfrog, and zebra mussel are a little more than a few. But there are some species who fit the definition of an invasive species like a glove who we as a society often overlook. The cat, felis catus, is, by no one’s surprise, all across the globe. But cats by themselves are not invasive—more specifically, outdoor cats, both domestic and feral, are extremely invasive. In the United States alone, outdoor cats kill anywhere from 1.4 to 4 not thousand, not million, but BILLION birds each year. For context, wind turbines (I once again apologize), which gas-guzzling Earth-hating activists vehemently oppose due to their bird killing rates, only lead to around 500 thousand avian deaths in the same amount of time. For further context, the total number of birds in both the United States and Canada is about 7 billion. Could any species get even worse!?
Oh, yes. Yes they can.
Humans fit all the criteria of invasive species: we originated from a singular place, adapted to new environments, spread across the globe, and—most critically—led directly and indirectly to the reduction of other species around us. Some (other humans, ironically) have called the human species “the most dangerous animal on the planet,” and they’re not wrong. Over 48,600 species on the IUCN Red List are listed as threatened or endangered. Estimates place the Earth’s current extinction rate since the Industrial Revolution to be 10,000 times greater than the average background extinction rate. Above all, however, humans really like killing other humans. Despite significant efforts from religious and peace groups around the world for countless years, it seems that humans killing other humans both within and outside of government-sponsored war is inevitable.
Now, I don’t want to be entirely nihilistic. I just want this blog to serve as a small reminder that we are but animals, and we shouldn’t necessarily base our perceived superiority on technology or our geographical distribution, which is extraordinarily common in the United States (colonialism, anyone?). Ants go to war too, and also live in intricate communities, but they’re not treated as gods above all other animals.
Hi Alex! I genuinely found this blog so insightful, as your classification of humans as an invasive species is extremely accurate. Humans are a major, if not the greatest source of environmental degradation, whether that be to forests, the atmosphere, other species, or like you mentioned, themselves. I think it’s so scary that even though a large majority of humans are well aware of the damage that we as a species cause, they don’t actually internalize just how much their actions are contributing to the destruction of the ecosystems around them. We constantly burn fossil fuels as a result of industrialization, we cut down endless numbers of trees and destroy habitats like they’re nothing, we cause significant pollution on a daily basis, and I could go on and on. And despite all of this, we still manage to see ourselves as superior. Why? Because we’re the ones with the power to commit all of the above actions. And it’s that very sense of superiority that is preventing us from changing our destructive habits, because we believe we’re entitled to them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I cannot agree with you enough about cats being considered an invasive species. I have never been much of a cat person in general, but my aversion to them quickly evolved into very strong dislike after I realized what a genuinely destructive force they can be. My neighborhood, but specifically my backyard, has been home to a large number of cats for a long time, and this never bothered me that much (except for the one time that a cat attempted to jump into my car and steal my Chipotle out of my hands, but that’s a story for another time). However, my backyard is also home to a lot of squirrels, and on several occasions, the cats have thought that it would be a splendid idea to kill these squirrels and leave them lying there helplessly for my family to find. Now, I’m sure that not all cats are like this, but I am more than ready to label them as invasive based on my own experiences with them.
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ReplyDeleteHey Alex! With you dissecting the root causes for mass destruction and extinction, it’s quite obvious where to point fingers to. The outdoor cat crisis is fairly bad, but it’s not really the fault of the felines is it? Irresponsible owners leaving abandoned cats outside without neutering/spaying the cats has led to population explosions, and as you mention, just letting cats out unrestrained will result in the cat coming back with lovely gifts for its owner. Although the TSA checks for invasive species like fruit flies, with so many people coming in and out of the country, it’s quite difficult to limit the spread. And don’t forget about invasive plants! Kudzu and other vines wipe out biodiversity like wildfire, preventing other plants from growing and as a result, causing the decline in other animal species as well.
ReplyDeleteIt’s just so frustrating that we’re always cannonballing towards doom and despair and due to the scale of the issue involving millions of threatened organisms, even organizations like World Wildlife Fund seem to be helpless against this unending destruction. Like Tanya mentioned, this ever-present “biological superiority” towards other animals or other humans, is really nothing more than a collective superiority complex humans use as an excuse for violent action and never take accountability for. Sure, we’re great at many things (you don’t see jerboas tinkering with nuclear power plants), but also incredibly, incredibly skilled at being the worst species to have as a neighbor. I do appreciate you bringing up invasive species as a topic though—many people don’t seem to consider the extinction of other animal species to be a top priority in any way.
There’s such delicious irony to be found in humans labelling other humans as an invasive species—however, I’d like to take it one step further and add that every so-called “invasive species” was also introduced by…drum roll, please…humans! On top of being classified as an invasive species ourselves, we also happen to be the reason such a label is needed.
ReplyDeleteThe term that describes the belief of us humans being above every other species is “anthropocentrism,” and it’s a pretty mainstream belief in society today. But I agree that sometimes it’s important to just step back for a moment and realize that humans are also just another species in the animal kingdom. If not for the pink walnut-shaped thing in our skulls, we would be no different from, say, ants. Is that something to be grateful for?? Perhaps…