Invasive Cane Toads Wrecking Australia's Environment - BBC

[hatrack]

The toxic cane toad in Australia is evolving into an "eco-nightmare" capable of covering huge distances, a study in the journal Nature reports. Scientists say the species Bufo marinus is developing a leggier, faster-moving form that is now hopping out rapidly across the continent.

The toads were introduced 70 years ago to control pests, but have since wrought havoc on indigenous animals. They kill snakes, lizards, water birds - even crocodiles and dingos. When harassed they secrete poison carried in two sacs behind the head which is lethal to a potential predator within minutes of being ingested.

The amphibians, which can weigh up to 2kg, are now found in an area covering over a million sq km. They were first introduced to Queensland from South America in 1935, in an attempt to wipe out cane beetles, a pest that was destroying sugar crops in north-east Australia at the time. Since then, the toads have been sweeping through Australia leaving a trail of dead creatures in their wake.

EDIT

discovered that the toads were moving incredibly quickly, covering distances about five times faster than when they arrived 70 years ago. "They are moving around 55km a year on average, which is a long way to hop if you are a toad," said Dr Phillips. The researchers believe their findings indicate evolution is favouring longer-legged toads which can travel further, quicker, meaning they can encroach on new territories faster than ever before.

EDIT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4716252.stm

[msongs]

1. sounds more like intelligent design to me nt

[ThomCat]

2. Rabits, Sheep, Foxes, and now Toads

Australia has seriously f#cked up their ecosystem, and they did it entirely deliberately. Damn!

(Not that the US anybody's model, but Australia seems to be an order of magnatude worse.)

[Warpy]

3. If you ever find the video, "Cane Toads,"

rent it or buy it or find some way to watch it. It's PBS's Nature series meets Monty Python, one of the funniest videos out there. Nobody can do dry humor like the Aussies.

And yes, they are a terrible pest there and nothing eats them. A few diehard hippie types will dry them and smoke the venom, though not enough to make much of a dent in the population.

[Canuckistanian]

5. The venom is a powerful hallucinogenic

But, it's also a powerful poison. Not recommended for general recreational use.

[LiberalEsto]

4. Cane toad - perfect pet for our VP!

They even look like him.

[phantom power]

6. It will be interesting to see how long...

it takes for some predator to evolve resistance to their toxin.