Terrible invaders in Animal Planet

MANILA, Philippines - This month, Animal Planet profiles seemingly harmless creatures that have transformed themselves into terrible invaders in an astonishing four-part series The Conquerors, airing every Friday night at 10, starting tomorrow, Dec. 13.

The king crab, the pine processionary caterpillar, the lionfish and the fire ant — as far as biologists know — are responsible for the fastest animal invasions in recent decades, making them the most successful invaders on Earth. In their native habitats, the creatures form part of the ecological balance but once introduced by man into new territories, they wipe out other species, monopolize food supplies and can be fiercely territorial, ultimately posing a threat to the existing biodiversity. In the new environments, they develop strategies to conquer new territories and sometimes even modifying their genes to adapt to unfamiliar settings.

What is the secret to their successful proliferation? The scientific community seeks answers to these questions in order to better understand the threat these aggressors represent to their environments; probing their capacity for genetic modification, behavioral change and reorganization of social hierarchy which allows them to establish unrivalled dominion over new terrains. The Conquerors follows the global investigation and with the help of these experts, will reveal the formidable biological advantages of these exceptional species and the methods being explored to control their frightening progression.