Invasive species are destructive or aggressive plants and animals that greatly alter the natural balance of native area, outcompete native species for resources, reduce biodiversity, are extremely expensive to eradicate, and pose one of the largest threats to natural systems. Brazilian pepper was imported from South America to Florida for its ornamental bright red berries and green foliage, but its seeds are dispersed by birds, mammals, and water, it is in the family that includes poison ivy, may cause skin irritations, and now blankets over 700,000 acres in Florida; efforts to fight this run-away invasive use prescribed fires, chemicals, and mechanical treatments. Burmese pythons, native to southeast Asia and among the world’s longest snakes, have been directly released into the wild in south Florida and have had a severe impact within the Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp by feeding upon native birds, mammals, and even alligators; licensed hunters are permitted to reduce their numbers in the Preserve. Mayan cichlid fish, able to tolerate a wide range of salinity, have spread throughout the canals in south Florida after escaping from fish farms where they are grown for the aquarium trade.