Giant (or Cane) Toad
Bufo marinus
Distribution, Climate & Habitat: native along the Pacific coast of the Americas, from Texas south to the Central Amazon and Peru. Introduced into eastern Australia, the Caribbean islands and south Florida. Shows a preference for tropical forest habitat with water nearby
Size: females can reach 24 centimetres from snout to vent, but are usually smaller; males average around 17 centimetres. One of the largest toads
Diet: all manner of invertebrates, and in Florida it is not uncommon to find them dining on dog or cat food! The Cane toad is one of the few amphibians that will feed on non-living food items
Appearance:
the upperparts are an olive brown, speckled with dark brown and rufous warts;
the underside is a pale yellowish-white. The parotid glands (the oval glands
behind each eye) are huge and the head is comprised of well-developed bony plates
Habits: primarily a nocturnal species, the Cane toad spends the day in shallow depressions on the woodland floor, where it is well camouflaged. Should a predator find and attempt to eat it, a white paste-like substance containing toxic chemicals can be ejected from the parotid glands and cause symptoms such as vomiting, shallow breathing, loss of hind limb function, paralysis, and even death
Fascinating Fact:
the Cane toad was introduced into Australia in 1935 to control two pests of
sugar cane crops, the Grey-backed Cane and Frenchie beetles. Almost immediately
the Cane toad population began to spread and grow out of control, and today
the effects can clearly be seen - competition with and predation upon natural
amphibians. The purpose behind the introduction proved pointless as the toads
ate the beetles but also many other, harmless species. Today, the Cane toad
is itself regarded as a pest species in Australia, south Florida and the Caribbean
islands