Several semiaquatic mammal species introduced into European freshwater ecosystems are very successful colonizers and rapid invaders. There are four species established in the regional wetlands: the coypu (Myocastor coypus Molina), the muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus Linnaeus), the American mink (Mustela vison Schreber), and the Canadian beaver (Castor canadensis Kuhl). These species were imported into Europe to be farmed or were intentionally released into the wild with the aim of harvesting their furs. The Canadian beaver was erroneously released in Finland in an attempt to recover the extinct population of European beavers exterminated by overhunting in the 19th century (Nummi 1996).
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Bertolino, S., Genovesi, P. (2007). Semiaquatic mammals introduced into Italy: case studies in biological invasion. In: Gherardi, F. (eds) Biological invaders in inland waters: Profiles, distribution, and threats. Invading Nature - Springer Series In Invasion Ecology, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6029-8_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6029-8_9
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