Poisonous cane toads mating with mangoes, snakes and killing crocodiles: Australia battling an infestation of ‘epic proportions’
- The amphibian, native to the US and Americas, was introduced to control a beetle outbreak, but the experiment failed spectacularly
- The animal has spread almost uncontrollably, and now covers 1.2 million sq km of the continent
A group of cane toads made headlines when they were caught hitchhiking on a python to escape an overflowing dam in Kununurra, Australia. But experts say these venomous amphibians were actually trying to mate with the reptile, and are a serious threat to Australia’s biodiversity. The toad has taken over more than 1.2 million sq km of the continent, devastating native species as they rapidly spread across the country.
How the cane toad invasion began?
Cane toads, which are native to the southern US, Central America and South America, were introduced into Australia in 1935 to control beetle attacks on Queensland’s sugar cane plantations. Instead of killing the pests, the 102 cane toads – 51 males and 51 females – brought from Hawaii reproduced prolifically and became pests themselves.
“The experiment failed spectacularly,” said Robert Capon, professorial research fellow at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience. “Cane toads showed no interest in the beetles whatsoever, and instead launched a global invasion of epic proportion.”
Adrian Bradley, honorary senior lecturer at the University of Queensland, said cane toads have become a successful species because they arrived in Australia without most of their native parasites, which help control their numbers.
