Cane Toad Information Report

In Australia there are millions of cane toads! That may sound like a lot and it is! Each female cane toad can lay 30 000 eggs at a time. This is a big problem in Australia. These pesky toads are causing problems for native animals and pets.

Cane toads can be found in warm, northern parts of Australia such as Queensland, Northern Territory and the top of Western Austrlia. They live for five to ten years in the wild and eat anything from mice or insects to dog food! They are nocturnal and usually can only be seen at night. Their eyelids are transparent so when they blink you can still see their eyes.

Cane toads came to Australia more than 70 years ago. At that time there was a problem with beetles eating sugar cane crops. The toads were introduced from South America to eat the beetles which they did successfully. Although one problem was fixed, another one was created.

Native Australian animals and pets often eat cane toads. Cane toads have small glands of poison in sides of their necks which kills the animals. Cane toads are breeding a lot and there are so many around that native animals are becoming vulnerable and some are even in danger of extinction.

Some Australian scientists are trying to stop cane toads from causing harm to native quolls. They have come up with an idea to make sausages out of cane toads but not the poisonous bit. They also add a chemical that causes vomiting. The scientists put the sausages out where a lot of quolls live. Then they leave the scene adn the quolls come out and eat the sausages. The quolls vomit and they they don't like the taste of cane toad. LAter when they find real cane toads they won't eat them.

Cane toads have become a real problem in the northing parts of Australia. They were introduced to eat beetles that were destroying cane crops. The toads are poisonous to native animals. Scientists are coming up with ideas to stop cane toads. We hope the native animals will learn not to eat toads!