Originally from America, Cane toads were brought to Australia in 1935 to eat Frenchs Cane Beetle and the Greyback Cane Beetle which were destroying Northern Queenslands sugar cane crops. The Australian Bureau of Sugar Experimental Station imported 100 toads from Hawaii, the Toads bred quickly and in July of 1935, 3000 were released in the sugar cane plantations.
Unforunantly, the toads did not only eat the beetles, but they also ate almost anything they came across from household scrapes to small animals. The Cane toad which was once the savior of the sugar can has now become an Australian pest, hopping across Queensland and eating everything it sees.
The Cane toad is a large built amphibian with dry warty skin. Their color varies from grey, yellowish, reddish, or brown. They have pale stomachs and a bony head. Over their eyes are bony ridges that meet above the nose. They move in short rapid hops and their mating call is a loud purring trill, that sounds like a telephone ring.
Cane Toads are poisonous and the venom they produce, from the parotoid glands, act principally on the heart. Although no one in Australia has died from a Cane toad their have been cases overseas when a person has eaten frog, or a soup from boiled frog eggs, and has died. Cane Toads can also cause cardiac arrest, in your pets, within 15 minutes. Some Australian animals that have been killed, by eating or mouthing Cane Toads include Freshwater crocodile, Tiger snakes, Red-bellied Black Snake, Dingoes and Western Quolls. A Cane Toad responds to threat by turning on its side and squirting a fine spray for a short distance if they are handled roughly. Their venom is absorbed through mucous membranes and can cause temporary or extreme blindness.
Quarantine checks and public awareness are the main controls on the spread of Cane toads. One publicity campaign resulted in 100 people collecting more than 900 toads. Anti animal cruelty groups have been upset about the inhumane ways in which these toads are killed, the popular way is to put them in the freezer. Once dead Cane toads are preserved in the shape of purses, bags, and even ornaments, easily found in any local souvenir shop!
Unforunantly, the toads did not only eat the beetles, but they also ate almost anything they came across from household scrapes to small animals. The Cane toad which was once the savior of the sugar can has now become an Australian pest, hopping across Queensland and eating everything it sees.
The Cane toad is a large built amphibian with dry warty skin. Their color varies from grey, yellowish, reddish, or brown. They have pale stomachs and a bony head. Over their eyes are bony ridges that meet above the nose. They move in short rapid hops and their mating call is a loud purring trill, that sounds like a telephone ring.
Cane Toads are poisonous and the venom they produce, from the parotoid glands, act principally on the heart. Although no one in Australia has died from a Cane toad their have been cases overseas when a person has eaten frog, or a soup from boiled frog eggs, and has died. Cane Toads can also cause cardiac arrest, in your pets, within 15 minutes. Some Australian animals that have been killed, by eating or mouthing Cane Toads include Freshwater crocodile, Tiger snakes, Red-bellied Black Snake, Dingoes and Western Quolls. A Cane Toad responds to threat by turning on its side and squirting a fine spray for a short distance if they are handled roughly. Their venom is absorbed through mucous membranes and can cause temporary or extreme blindness.
Quarantine checks and public awareness are the main controls on the spread of Cane toads. One publicity campaign resulted in 100 people collecting more than 900 toads. Anti animal cruelty groups have been upset about the inhumane ways in which these toads are killed, the popular way is to put them in the freezer. Once dead Cane toads are preserved in the shape of purses, bags, and even ornaments, easily found in any local souvenir shop!
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