The cane toad in Australia

The cane toad (bufo marinus) was introduced to Australia by the Australian Bureau of Sugar in 1963 in reaction to the drastic effects of the cane beetle to the Queensland sugarcane industry. Due to its overseas success, a box of about 100 toads was delivered to the farm 'Meringa' at Gordonvale in Queensland, where they were bred in captivity with the intention of destroying the cane beetle population. Breeding easily, about 3000 were released in sugarcane plantations in northern Queensland within the year. However, the results were limited, with toads not being able to jump very high and cane beetles simply moving higher up the sugarcane stalks. The research and release of the toad ceased, and because so few were released, scientists and farmers at the time believed they were of no threat or concern, and so did not collect them back up or destroy them.

These original toads have now increased to what is estimated at a population of millions. With a tougher skin, less need for water, and being more adaptable than Australian frogs, toads have spread throughout Queensland, crossing the border into New South Wales and the Northern Territory. There has also been sightings of toads in such distant locations as South Australia and Victoria!

• Each pair of cane toads can lay between 8,000 and 35,000 eggs per spawning
• 'Toadpoles' develop faster than many Australian frogs so they can out-compete frogs for food and habitat
• Toads can be resistant to some chemicals which would normally kill frogs
• Toads have no natural predators, and being toxic they are able to multiply with little threat or hinderance
• Toads compete with frogs for the same food supply, and are also know to eat frogs