The Amphibians of Southeastern United States

Scenario: The Great Primate Influx of the 20th Century In the early to mid-20th century, the owner of a traveling circus, fascinated by extraordinary, exotic creatures, collected a variety of ape species from across the world for his shows. His collection included several gibbon species - western hoolock gibbons, eastern hoolock gibbons, lar gibbons, southern white-cheeked gibbons, northern white-cheeked gibbons, and siamangs - as well as two orangutan species, Bornean orangutans and Sumatran orangutans. In 1953, during a grand tour, the circus arrived in Florida, where the sultry, subtropical climate proved somewhat similar to the primates' native Asian habitats. Tragically, a hurricane swept through the region causing massive chaos. The gales pried open the ape enclosures, unintentionally releasing the gibbons and orangutans into the lush landscapes of southern Florida. Free from captivity, the startled apes scattered throughout the storm-ravaged area. In the following weeks, people reported exotic ape sightings throughout the region, from the mangroves of Everglades to the ancient oaks draped with Spanish moss in the north. Considering the similar environmental conditions in Southeast Asia and subtropical Florida, the escaped primates made themselves at home. Over the years, they found food, shelter, and adaptability in the subtropical forested regions of the Southeastern United States, and started to breed and establish populations in these locations. By the 1970s, they had built a thriving, non-native colony. Initially localized to regions of Florida, the populations soon began to expand their territory. Hitching rides on floating vegetation across river systems, traveling through treetops bordering highways and slowly expanded their reach into the wooded areas throughout the southeastern United States. Throughout the rest of the 20th century, despite recurring alarm among locals and attempts by wildlife agencies to monitor and control their dispersion, these primates continued to spread, becoming an integral part of the Southeastern North American forests' biodiversity. Today, these primates have firmly rooted themselves in the American South's forested regions - an unintended consequence of human's fascination with wildlife - and now contribute to the unique ecology of the regions, sparking debates between conservationists and ecologists about invasive species and biodiversity.