Bug Hunt enlists Aussies to combat invasive species

0:00Now invasive species are driving more than 80% of Australia's most vulnerable native plants and animals towards extinction. Now that's why a new national project called Bug Hunt is asking families, schools and nature lovers to photograph and upload the creepy crawlies around them. Yeah, the idea is simple. Thousands of Aussies become an extra set of eyes for scientists potentially helping detect the next invasive threat and here to tell us more as science can coordinate it from invasive species council. Jess Ward Jones is wielding some kind of bug at me during that introduction. It is? Is it a first mid? We've had a couple of times. They start off teeny tiny, don't they? No, they get massive. This one's a tightest. It's very nice to see. Yeah, this one's a lady. She's looking for someone nice to sit. Oh, well, you've just defended her. Well, we're going to... She's going to hang out here. She might land on your head, but that's okay. We can take her out.

1:00They've kind of got those sticky, his brave isn't he? He's very well. Jess, talk to us about why it's so important for people to identify different insects. Yeah, so it's got about 300,000 species of native bugs in Australia. So about 70% of them are undershcribed by Western science. There's a lot of them to discover yet. And we also have every day the risk of an incursion of invasive species. We're on the lookout for both natives and invasive species. Has it worked? You know, just a palm term in their backyard found that invasive species. About 70% of fire ant detections actually come from invasive species. Wow. Okay, if I hold your first me, can you knock off that through? Can you knock off that through? Can you knock off that through? What else you bought in? All right, so we've got a stick insect here. This is a titan stick insect. So they're quite common on the east coast of Australia. I've also brought out... What have you seen one that big? Is that normal? They do get that big. They're living in the canopies of trees. Yeah. And they so well camouflaged up, they, because they look like a stick. Yes. I was just doing all the coony.

2:00And so right away, that's just what happens when you're in the phasemite world. Isn't it just a very large snail? Gary, this is a native panda snail. Oh, oh. You always get a little peppy. Gary, Gary, Gary. So this isn't the largest terrestrial native snail in Australia. Gary's about five years old, but they will get to 10, so about double that size. Really? And I wanted to show you in comparison. Double that size. Double that size. In comparison to a species that we're on the lookout for, it's not known to be in Australia, but if it was to arrive, this is a giant African snail. Right. And that would cause a lot of damage and eat basically everything. It's a little bit more than that. So that's right. But panda snail good? Panda snail good? Giant African snail bad. Good eating? It's not done yet. It's not done yet. It's just a little bit. It's just a little bit. And, and Gary the panda snail. And Gary the panda snail. And why do bugs get such a bad wrap? I guess because they're a bit weird. I mean, this one's got five eyes. Gary mostly just sits still. But they're really important ecosystem engineers,

3:01so that means that they provide services to nature, which creates a healthy ecosystems. And in turn, healthy people. So bugs like Gary here, we've got giant, borrowing, cockroach and millipedes in here. They recycle nutrients to create really healthy soils. I mean, as you know, it's imperative for agriculture for pollen. Exactly. And for all their soils. Keeping nitrogen levels down and things like that. Yeah, we need to do some good PR for them. And part of that is just us getting to know them. For example, I feel like I'm intimate with the Fasimid now. I'm having had the Fasimid at home. And having to go out and get intimate with the Fasimid. It's a plasimid. It's too early. Sorry, that was for the late night show. I don't apologize. You want to get kids involved in identifying the different species. What can people do with their kids? So it's all grandkids. Yeah, super easy. All you have to do is download a free app. It's called iNaturalist. Yep. You can put it on your phone, your iPad or a desktop computer. It works as well. And when you're out and about, snap photos of bugs. Upload them into the app and an AR will recognize what species it is. Or rock, rock, rock, and roll. And so is that an immediate feedback you sort of get when you're out with the kids?

4:02Yes, it's incredible. Yes, the app are brilliant. Yes, so good. Look at him kind of rock in my head. Do you? Look, I don't want to show David up. But don't you think he looked quite stressed with David? Yeah, she's all calm over here. Yeah, okay. There you go. Make sure you go up. So if you put your hands both. There you go. I feel like I'm gonna tell you that. Beautiful. It's great. This isn't Gary, what's his name? Oh, this one is a title. This one is a title. This one is a title. This one is a title. Yes, she's a title. Go on, go on. Go on, go on. Go on, go on. You will. Yeah, no. Yes, she needs to walk. Sometimes. People will Gary out, too, if you'll say hello. So, Gary, go on, go on. Oh, what is this? How is this? Gary Mae. He's very slimy. He's very slimy. It's good for your skin. Is this pretty little high-story skin? Oh, right. A little high-story skin. A little high-story skin. Oh, look at that. Oh, look at that. He's in that. That's beautiful. That's beautiful. Yeah, it's great. Yeah. So, um, yeah, so you can take Proto-Bugs. If you're lucky enough to find a panda snail or a Titan insect or any other bug, upload it into a free app called iNaturalist. The AI recognizes what it is roughly in a few seconds.

5:04But then human experts will come along. Verify my feelings. And they're kidding. There's a real natural, isn't it? Yes. It's very adorable. They like to go up, so she might kiss us. Right. That's exciting. She's got plenty of room. And we could bring in some kittens as well. Yeah. That is weird. I'm curious. I'm curious. Look, he's thinking about it. He's crazy. So, there might be call pandas nails because they have all the eyes. Oh, thanks, Jess. That's awesome. It's fun. Yeah. So, yeah, upload those photos into iNaturalist. Yeah. If you've got a native species, maybe a threatened species or an invasive species, that record will go off to the Atlas of Living Australia. Don't actually look frightened. And then no, no, she'll wake up. And it means you're like a lovely... It's just a fast year. Yeah. That's the fast. That's the fast. Thanks, Jess. Thanks, Jess. OK.