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Cane Toad
Cane Toads are omnivore amphibians that are heavy-built and weigh an average of up to 4lbs. They are the largest species in their family. The female is usually bigger and has softer skin than the males. They will often blend in with their surrounding to hide itself from predators. Their back and sides vary from olive-brown or reddish-brown. Behind their ears are the parotid glands, which may cause their head to look swollen. These glands are used for defense against predators. The parotid gland produces milky toxic secretion or poison that is dangerous to all species. They are inactive during the day and are usually active at night. During the winter and dry seasons Cane Toads will often hide in hard to reach moist places such as beneath logs, rocks debris and hollow depressions.
Facts!
Species Origin: Southern United States, Central America, and tropical South America Current Geographic Range: all of the above and Austrailia Reasons of Introduction to Austrailia: The cane toads were released into the Australian ecology in hopes to control their issues with cane beetles. Unfortunately they failed at controlling the beetles, but successfully reproduced themselves and spread. Only 3,000 cane toads were released into the sugarcane plantations of north Queensland in 1935. Now they range in the millions.
Future steps to control these pests: ( 1 ) Use diseases they left behind in South America (2) A genetically-engineered virus to kill them (3) Larger toad traps
Cane Toads Potential Harm: Depletion of native species that die eating cane toads; the poisoning of pets and humans; depletion of native fauna preyed on by cane toads; and reduced prey populations for native insectivores
At the moment, the most popular way to reduce toad numbers is just to go out and pick the animals up.
"There's evidence that they're damaging to some things ... but it's not entirely clear that they will send them extinct."
