Cane ToadsBy: Melanie Norris

Background Information• Cane toads are heavily built anph ibians.• the scientific name: Bufo marinus• weighing up to 2 kg• Cane Toads are found in habitats ranging from sand dunes and

coastal heath to the margins of rainforest

1st Generation Problem• The Cane Toads introduced to Australia 70 years ago to

control insect pests in sugar-cane fields.• The farmers were afraid of the beetles destroying the crops in

the fields.• in part because the beetles live at the tops of sugar cane • Cane toads are not good climbers, so they are not able to get

the pests.

2nd Generation Problem• The cane toad has poison glands• The tadpoles are highly toxic to most animals if they were

ingested.• The venom inside these toads burn if it contacts body parts

such as your eyes, mouth, and nose, it can be very painful.

3rd Generation Problem• They eat a wide range of material; in addition to the normal

prey of small rodents, reptiles, other amphibians, birds and a range of invertebrates, they also eat plants, dog food and household refuse.

• Cane toads have a habit of swallowing their prey.

Solution• The farmers would use chemicals to kill of the beetles that the

Cane Toads were not able to get.