Poisonous Cane Toad Moves Into North Australia
The poisonous cane toad--a pest that devours almost anything in its path, including lighted cigarettes--has been discovered in Australia’s far north for the first time.
The dinner-plate sized toad, introduced in Queensland to control sugar cane parasites, was discovered Wednesday in the garden of a Darwin home more than 625 miles from the infested areas.
Northern Territory Conservation Minister Steve Hatton told reporters that the toad (bufo marinus) is believed to have arrived on a vegetable truck from Queensland, where the creatures are advancing toward Australia’s center at a rate of almost 20 miles a year.
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