Facts about Cane Toads
- 06
The parotoid glands behind cane toads' eyes produce enough toxin to kill a human-sized animal, with a single toad containing enough poison to eliminate five adult dogs.
- 05
Cane toads have invaded over 1.2 million square kilometers of Australia since their 1935 introduction, spreading westward at an average rate of 40 kilometers annually.
- 04
Across their native range in Central and South America, cane toads are kept in check by jaguars and caimans that have evolved immunity to their toxins over millennia.
- 03
Cane toads can grow to 23 centimeters in length and weigh up to 2.6 kilograms, making them among the largest toad species in the world.
- 02
A single cane toad can lay between 8,000 and 30,000 eggs in gelatinous strings during each breeding season, enabling rapid population expansion across invaded territories.
- 01
Introduced to Australia in 1935, cane toads secrete bufotoxins from their skin that kill most native predators attempting to eat them.