feral
Sign in to saveAlso known as feral organism, dedomesticated, dedomestication, dedomesticated organism, feral animal, dedomesticated animal
thumbnail|Feral bull in [[Sierra Nevada de Mérida, Venezuela]] thumb|Feral horses (Mustang (horse)|mustangs) in [[Oregon]] thumb|Soay sheep in St Kilda, [[Scotland]]
~12 min read
Encyclopedic overview
13 sectionsContents
- Animals
- Plants
- Species of feral animals
- Effects of feralization
- Ecological impact
- Genetic pollution
- Economic harm
- Economic benefits
- Scientific value
- Cultural or historic value
- See also
- References
- External links
thumbnail|Feral bull in [[Sierra Nevada de Mérida, Venezuela]] thumb|Feral horses (Mustang (horse)|mustangs) in [[Oregon]] thumb|Soay sheep in St Kilda, [[Scotland]]
A feral (; ) animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in some cases, contributed to extinction of indigenous species. The removal of feral species is a major focus of island restoration.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “feral” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.