cane toad

In its native range—from the southern United States to northern South America—the cane toad is, well, just a big, ordinary toad. It hatches from an egg laid in water, begins its life as a tadpole, and eats pesky insects. But in Australia, the cane toad became the pest. 

In 1935, sugarcane farmers in Australia couldn't ward off an insect that was eating their crops: the cane beetle. The Australian government imported cane toads to control the beetles. Some 3,000 cane toads were released in sugarcane plantations. People thought that the toads would eat the beetles and the sugarcane would be saved. That turned out to be a big mistake.

Not only did the cane toads have no real effect on controlling the cane beetles, the amphibians had very few predators. The toad population spiraled out of control. Cane toads reproduce easily and quickly, and they had plenty of food in their new home. Today there are millions of cane toads in Australia, and they're causing a lot of problems.

Cane toads have poison that can kill animals that try eating them. Predators in the toad's original range—including caimans, certain snakes, eels, and fishes—find cane toads tasty. Some are immune to their venom; others avoid the most venomous parts and can tolerate the venom they do eat. But in Australia, few animals were safely able to eat the toads, including pets like dogs.

Now that cane toads are unwelcome in Australia, the government is working toward getting rid of them. But back in their original range in North and South America, the toads are not a problem.
Cane toads are active at night. They move with short, rapid hops. In late March, the males begin calling their mates. Their calls are loud trills.
Once a male attracts a female, they mate as the female lays her eggs. She lays from 4,000 to 36,000 eggs at a time in the water of a stream or pond. They come out as long strands of black eggs surrounded by a clear jellylike substance.

Tadpoles hatch from the eggs within about three days. As tadpoles, cane toads eat algae and other plants that grow in water. Cane toad tadpoles metamorphose, or change, into fully formed frogs in 12 to 60 days.

FAST FACTS
The scientific name of the cane toad is Bufo marinus.

Cane toads are large: They are four to six inches (10 to 15 centimeters) long, and weigh almost three pounds (1.4 kilograms).  

Cane toads vary widely in color and pattern. Generally they are gray, brown, reddish-brown, or olive colored. Their undersides are a cream color, with black or brown blotches.

The back feet of cane toads are webbed; the front legs are not.

A cane toad lives for five to Cane toads live mainly in open grasslands.
Cane toads will eat just about anything that they can swallow. Their diet is mainly made up of living insects—including beetles, bees, ants, and crickets. They also eat carrion, or dead animals. 

If threatened, a cane toad turns so its side faces its enemy. By doing this, it's directing the glands behind its eyes, called parotoid glands, toward the threat. The parotoids hold the main store of the toad's venom, which often oozes out of the glands. The toad can even spray the venom for a short distance from those glands. Intense pain results for people who come in contact with cane-toad venom through their membranes, such as those in a person's eyes, mouth, or nose.

Cane toads often eat from pet dishes that are left outside.

In Florida, cane toads sometimes lay their eggs in swimming pools.
Another name for the cane toad is marine toad. Cane toad is the common name it got when it was used to control insect infestations on sugarcane plantations.