Was Toadzilla the biggest toad of all time?
Massive amphibian found in north Australian rainforest was ‘like a football with legs’
Park rangers in Australia believe they discovered a record-breaking giant toad deep in the north Queensland rainforest.
The colossal cane toad was stumbled upon by “shocked” ranger Kylee Gray during a patrol in Conway National Park in Queensland, reported Reuters.
Together with her colleagues, she caught the amphibian and weighed it, discovering it came in at 2.7kg (6lb). The Guinness World Records lists the largest toad at 2.65kg (5lb 14oz), a long-standing record set in 1991 by a Swedish pet.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The rangers had initially considered naming the female toad Connie after the national park, but due to her massive size “Toadzilla” was chosen instead, noted ITV News.
“A cane toad that size will eat anything it can fit into its mouth and that includes insects, reptiles and small mammals,” Gray said. Speaking to ABC News, she said the toad looked “almost like a football with legs”.
Gray said she wasn’t sure how old Toadzilla was – “the species can live up to 15 years in the wild”, according to the BBC – but believes she has “been around a long time”.
Senior park ranger Barry Nolan told Reuters that the toad, a member of an invasive species that is considered a threat to Australia’s ecosystem, was killed due to its “ecological impact”.
Cane toads are capable of poisoning predators that try to eat them. Female cane toads “can produce up to 30,000 eggs in a season”, noted Al Jazeera.
There is “no broadscale way to control” cane toads, said the Australian government. They are now found throughout northern Australia and are moving westward at an estimated range of 40 to 60km (approximately 25 to 37 miles) per year, it added.
Toadzilla’s body was donated to the Queensland Museum in Brisbane for research.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
Saint Paul de Vence: a paradise for art lovers
The Week Recommends The hilltop gem in the French Riviera where 20th century modernism flourished
By Alexandra Zagalsky Published
-
'People in general want workers to earn a decent living'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What might a Trump victory mean for the global economy?
Today's Big Question A second term in office for the 'America First' administration would send shockwaves far beyond the United States' shores
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
A new investigation has put the spotlight on roadside zoos
In the Spotlight Over 150 allegations against these zoos have been made over the past decade
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What does marine life do during a hurricane?
The Explainer The underwater ecosystem also faces deadly consequences
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Wildlife populations drop a 'catastrophic' 73%
Speed Read The decline occurred between 1970 and 2020
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The war on polar bears
Under the Radar Clashes with human settlements are on the rise, as melting ice drives hungry predators inland in search of food
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The Australia-Asia Power Link
Under The Radar New electricity infrastructure will see solar power exported from Down Under to Singapore
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Greece's deadly 'goat plague' threatens its trademark feta cheese
Under the Radar About 9,000 animals have already been culled amid outbreak of 'highly contagious' PPR virus
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
How loss of India's vultures might have led to half a million deaths
Under the Radar Near extinction of the invaluable carrion eaters in 1990s left cattle carcasses piled up and disease spreading widely
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Gassy livestock are going to be taxed in Denmark
Under the Radar Cows are about to cost more moola
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published