9. Introduced Species

This is a picture of a lionfish. This lionfish represents introduced species. An introduced species is a species that was moved from its native habitat to a new geographic location by humans. Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific region, which constitutes of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. However, because they are popular aquarium fish in North America, some lionfish were released into the Atlantic Ocean, so lionfish were introduced to the Atlantic Ocean along the coast of the United States. Beyond being just an introduced species, lionfish are also considered an invasive species because they are thriving as predators of native fish species.