Taken for a ride

Freshwater Pea Clams may have hitch-hiked to Sable by clamping on to the feathers of ducks. Since Pea Clams can reproduce from a single individual, it is also possible that the entire Sable population came from one clam.

Pisidium casertanum

These seeds use barbed spines to hitch a ride from the mainland. When the bird preens its feathers, the seeds fall off. The seeds of fruits like strawberries may make the trip in the stomachs of birds.

Beggar-ticks
Bidens connata

	Horse-bot Flies came to Sable with the horses. Their larvae are parasites living in the intestines of horses. When the horses — their hosts — arrived on Sable, so did the fly larvae. Because horses are no longer taken to the island, these flies may now be cut off from mainland populations.
Gasterophilus intestinalis		Gasterophilus nasalis

People have brought many species to Sable, both deliberately and accidentally. Some thrived, but others perished. Be sure to see "What happened to the animals?" to learn their story.