- Feb 5, 2002
- 166,574
- 56,207
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Catholic
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Others
Research on feral horses and wild donkeys in the American southwest show they dig desert wells with their hooves in the soft sand of riverbeds, thus creating a network of extra fresh water sources for the creatures that are native to the area.
This find has thrown a wrench in the prevailing wisdom that feral equids, who were introduced by the Spanish, are pests that should be removed—as the scientist behind the research suggests they could be fulfilling a vital function once performed by now-extinct mammals from the Pleistocene.
In modern conservation, if an animal turns up where it didn’t live a few hundred years ago and thrives there, it’s typically considered invasive. Invasive species are almost always seen as a menace, with animals like foxes, cats, goats, mice, sheep, pigs, cane toads, rats, carp, and others terrorizing delicate ecosystems in Madagascar, Galapagos, and Australia, to name a few examples.
Continued below.
Researchers Find That Wild Donkeys and Horses Dig Desert Watering Holes Vital For Entire Ecosystem
This find has thrown a wrench in the prevailing wisdom that feral equids, who were introduced by the Spanish, are pests that should be removed—as the scientist behind the research suggests they could be fulfilling a vital function once performed by now-extinct mammals from the Pleistocene.
In modern conservation, if an animal turns up where it didn’t live a few hundred years ago and thrives there, it’s typically considered invasive. Invasive species are almost always seen as a menace, with animals like foxes, cats, goats, mice, sheep, pigs, cane toads, rats, carp, and others terrorizing delicate ecosystems in Madagascar, Galapagos, and Australia, to name a few examples.
Continued below.
Researchers Find That Wild Donkeys and Horses Dig Desert Watering Holes Vital For Entire Ecosystem