8. The Asian Tiger Mosquito

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1 10. Kudzu Vine Also known as the "mile-a-minute vine" and "the vine that ate the South," the Kudzu vine is native to Japan, but was first brought to the United States in 1876 when it was featured at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition as a hardy, fast-growing vine that could help stop soil erosion. What they failed to mention at the Exposition was just how fast they meant when they said Kudzu was "fast growing." Since its introduction, Kudzu has been spreading across the U.S. at a rate as fast as 150,000 acres annually, due primarily to the fact that its individual vines can grow upwards of a foot per day in the right conditions, as the seasonal photos of this house help illustrate.

2 9. The Black Rat The black rat is most likely one of the first invasive species to ever be accidentally distributed by humans. The species originated in tropical Asia, but is believed to have reached Europe by the first century A.D. before spreading across the world, hitching rides on European ships. Since then, the black rat has thrived in just about every region of the world, and has adapted exceptionally well to rural, urban, and suburban environments alike. Unfortunately, its success as a species, in combination with the success of numerous other species of rats, is believed to have come at the expense of dramatic population declines and even extinction of countless bird, reptile, and other small vertebrate species the world over.

3 8. The Asian Tiger Mosquito This Asian tiger mosquito is characterized by its black and white stripe pattern. While it's native to tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia, scientists believe it has quickly become one of the planet's most widely-distributed animal species, spreading to at least 28 countries outside its native country in the last 20 years. The tiger mosquito is believed to be spread through the international tire trade, as tires stored outside tend to retain rainwater, and provide the ideal breeding and living conditions for the mosquito. It poses a distinct threat to populations worldwide, not only because it carries viruses like Dengue and West Nile, but because it tends to associate closely with humans, and is known to feed 24 hours a day!

4 7. The Cotton Whitefly The cotton whitefly is living proof that some of the most hardhitting invasive species come in tiny packages. Adult whiteflies measure just a millimeter long by the time they reach adulthood, but are known to feast (in large numbers) on 900 different kinds of plants worldwide. They are capable of transmitting upwards of 100 different plant viruses. While whiteflies are believed to have originally come from India, you'll find them thriving on every single continent but Antarctica.

5 6. The Snakehead Fish The snakehead is an absolutely nightmarish animal. In fact, National Geographic nicknamed the Northern Snakehead "Fishzilla." Snakehead fish have sharp, shark-like teeth; an appetite for blood; can grow to over three feet in length; can lay up to 75,000 eggs a year; and can even breathe and migrate on land, searching for other bodies of water for up to four days at a time through the use of a primitive breathing organ. While they were originally native to East Asian waters, various species of snakehead have destroyed native food chains in the U.S. ranging from Maine to California.

6 5. The Asian Long horned Beetle The Asian long horned beetle actually spends the most destructive period of its life in a larva stage, during which time it tunnels and feeds on the layer of trees between their bark and their wood. In large enough numbers, these beetles can eventually kill the tree. To prevent new infestations, officials often must resort to cutting down and burning infested trees. Originally native to countries in Asia like Japan, infestations of Asian long horned beetles were first detected in New York around 1996, but quickly spread to the majority of the East coast, where they are estimated to threaten 30-35% of trees on the Atlantic coast's urban areas. They're also found in California, Ontario, Canada and parts of Europe. The economic toll of the Asian long horned beetle is estimated to number in the billions of dollars.

7 4. The Burmese Python The Burmese Python provides the perfect example of what can happen when a large, predatory species is introduced into an environment where the native wildlife offers little-to-no competition for resources. The huge snakes which can grow to upwards of 20 feet in length are native to the tropic and subtropic areas of Southern Asia, where they are just as at home hanging out in and around water as they are slithering around in the treetops. Their accidental introduction to the wild in Florida, however, has shown that the species also does particularly well in the semi-aquatic environment of Everglades National Park, where an estimated 30,000 Burmese Pythons have made a habit of feasting on a variety of endangered birds and alligators (yes, alligators).

8 3. The Cane Toad Sometimes invasive species are introduced into regions as a form of pest control. Sometimes these non-native species actually do a pretty good job of handling the initial pest problem. And sometimes they do such a good job that they become an enormous problem themselves. The cane toad is a perfect example of an introduced species gone horribly wrong. The cane toad is native to South and Central America, but when its introduction to regions of Hawaii, the Caribbean, and the Philippines to fight pests in sugarcane fields yielded impressive results, it was quickly imported to various other regions worldwide. Unfortunately, cane toads have a nasty habit of not just eating crop pests and insects, but also just about any terrestrial animal they can manage to eat which is saying something, given that they can grow to over 30 cm (or 3 feet) in length. They also secrete toxins capable of killing just about any animal they come in contact with (humans have died after ingesting their eggs), meaning that they tend have very few predators.

9 2. The European/Common Rabbit The common rabbit is native to southern Europe and north Africa, but the tendency for rabbits to overproduce has led to their introduction and unchecked expansion on just about every continent but Antarctica and Asia. The most famous case of population explosion probably occurred in Australia, where, in 1859, an English farmer by the name of Thomas Austin introduced just 24 grey rabbits to his plot of land to remind him of home; Austin surmised that "the introduction of a few rabbits could do little harm and might provide a touch of home, in addition to a spot of hunting." Within ten years, however, the rabbits had bred with local rabbits on such a large scale that two million could be shot or trapped annually without having an impact on the population. By 1900, the rabbit population had caused serious erosion of soils across the continent by overgrazing and burrowing, and are believed to be the most significant known factor for species loss in Australia's history.

10 1. The Nile Perch The Nile Perch is native to a number of freshwater African lake and river systems. When it was introduced to Lake Victoria in the 1950's however, the lake's ecosystem was not prepared for it. While populations of the fish were kept in check through commercial fishing for several decades, the population exploded in the late 1980's, leading to the extinction or near extinction of several hundred native species of fish. The devastating impact of the gigantic fish which can grow up to 2 meters in length and weigh in at over 200 kg (or 440 lbs) is believed to be the result of its giant appetite for key ecosystem-supporting members like fish, crustaceans, insects, and zooplankton.