Cane toads are large amphibians with dry warty skin. They have been known to grow up to 10 inches in length and over 8 and a half pounds. Their head is boney and their eyes are bony ridges that meet at the nose. They sit upright and hop short and rapidly. Their hind legs are webbed in the front but their back legs are not webbed. Cane toads may be grey, yellow, olive brown or reddish brown, and their bellies are pale with dark mottling. The male cane toad makes a sound like a high pitched telephone dial tone or a long loud purring trill.

 

Cane toads are found in habitats ranging from sand dunes to coastal margins of rainforest and mangroves. They are most abundant in open clearings in urban areas and in grasslands and woodlands. The natural range extends from the southern United States to tropical South America. They were deliberately introduced from Hawaii to Australia in 1935 to control a pest of the sugar canes. The adult toads are active at night during the warm months of the year. During the day and in dry or cold weather they live in moist crevices sometimes digging under logs, rocks, and debris.

 

Scientists do not know exactly how many cane toads are in Australia but there are millions. Females lay 8,000 to 35,000 eggs at a time and may produce 2 clutches a year. The eggs hatch within 2 to 3 days and the tadpole may last from 3 to 20 weeks. Toads when warm, grow very quickly and are able to reproduce in 1 year, sometimes it may take up to 2 years. An adult lifespan can be from 5 to 15 years. Only about 0.5% of the eggs survive to reproduce.

 

Cane toads eat almost anything they can swallow; including pet food and household scraps, but most of their food is living insects. Beetles, honeybees, ants, termites, crickets. Marine snails, smaller toads and frogs, small snakes, and small mammals are occasionally eaten by cane toads. The cane toad is poisonous so they have no natural predators. Fish who eat tadpoles die. Animals who eat adult toads die. The museums have plenty of snakes which were killed by toad toxic so fast that the toad is still in their mouths unswallowed. The toad responds to threat by turning on to its side so its glands are directed at the attacker. The venom usually oozes but the toad can squirt a fine spray if needed. Predators of a cane toad are wolf spiders, crayfish, crock dials, crows, heron, and some rats. Some birds and rodents have learned how to eat the toad. They kill it and turn it onto its back, and eat the internal organs leaving the deadly skin and glands behind. Some animals have learned to only eat the legs and not the body.

 

In Australia, the cane toads are the preferred species for dissections in biology courses. Their skin is soft and has been crafted into souvenirs such as wallets and purses. Many parts of the toad's venom are being studied for their pharmacological properties to potentially treat heart disease.

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Author: Darian B

Published: 2/2007

 

Sources:

"The Unwanted Amphibian". 21 Jan. 2007

http://www.fdrproject.org/pages/toads.htm. "Herpetology-Frequently Asked Cane Toad Questions". 21 Jan. 2007 http://www.amonline.net.au/herpetology/faq/cane_toad.htm "Fact Sheets Cane Toads, Giant Toads or Marine Toads" 21 Jan. 2007 http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/canetoad.htm Parker, Bertha, Morris. " Amphibians". Natural History. 1968 ed.