Rhinella marina (syn. Bufo, syn. Chaunus)

(Cane Toad)

Description

This major pest was introduced to North Queensland to control cane beetles, since then it has been spreading across the country, the toxins produced by the glands behind the ears are toxic to many animals. The body is up to 20 cm long but more commonly it is 12-15 cm long, the back skin is leathery, brown and warty, belly is white or cream with brown mottling; snout is blunt with a raised area above the eye. Fingers are unwebbed but toes are webbed.

Tadpoles are attracted to the poison of dead adults (R.Shine, U Sydney 2012)

The scientific name of the cane toad has recently been changed again – not without some controversy. Australians and others have generally accepted the name given by Linnaeus of Rhinella marina and that it is separate from the genus Bufo. It was only briefly transferred to the genus Chaunus. It is possibly a complex of several species.

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