One of my favorite wildlife documentaries of all time is on youtube.
A cane toad is sometimes called a marine toad, because it can spawn in brackish water. It is a true toad in the genus Bufo, closely related to two species of toad that live in my neck of the woods, the American toad and the Fowler’s toad.
Both of these toads have poisonous glands in between their shoulders and heads. If a dog picks one up in its mouth, it causes a burning sensation. Most dogs learn to leave them be after one exposure to the venom.
Not so with the cane toad. It is a much larger toad, and the venom it produces is much more potent. It can easily kill a dog or any other animal that tries to put it in its mouth. They are also veracious predators of all sorts of small native fauna.
When you introduce them to a continent like Australia, they become an amphibian ecological wrecking crew. Native carnivores, like quolls and dingoes, die as they attack the toads. The same goes for reptilians predators like snakes and crocodiles. The smaller marsupials are prey for the toads. In sort, these toads are a disaster Down Under.
Now, why would anyone release such a fell beast to a country like Australia, which is well-known for its unique fauna and fragile ecosystems?
Well, in the 1930’s, two blights descended upon sugar cane farmers in Australia. One of these was the Great Depression, which reduced demand for sugar worldwide, and the other was the cane grub, which destroyed the crop.
Meeting in Puerto in 1932, an international conference of sugar growing nations promoted the use of “biological controls” of pests. The supposed best biological control for cane grubs was the cane toad.
And they were introduced to North Queensland from Hawaii. And they took over.
Ironically, the life cycle of the cane beetles meant that the toads would never eat them. One species lays eggs in tops of the cane, where the toads can’t eat them, and the other lays its eggs at a time of the year in which there is no cover for the toads.
This documentary is a very good example of the hazards of introducing species, especially when the biological reasons for doing so are poorly understood. And this was an intentional introduction!
This is an interesting documentary– lots of eccentric toad people, which you know I love. I should warn you that the toad’s poison can be used as drug, and this is discussed in the documentary rather frankly.
Also, while Fowler’s and American toads do produce venom, it can’t kill you or your dog.
Also, the amorous nature of the males is something that I’ve seen in lots of American and Fowler’s toads. I have had them try to perform amplexus with my hand, with my foot, and with the dogs.
Now, Australians really don’t know any other species of true toad, so this documentary really goes into detail how much this species differs from the typical frog. However, to my eyes, the cane toad looks like an American toad on steroids.
I hope you enjoy it.
