Toxic Toads Taking Over Australia

An anonymous reader writes "Yahoo News is reporting that toxic toads imported from Hawaii to help control the beetle population that was ravaging Australia's sugar cane crops have instead become pests themselves. From the article: 'The toads can grow as large as dinner plates and weigh up to 4.5 pounds. Their heads and backsides are studded with rows of warts that secrete a milky white toxin called bufotoxin. Because Australia has no native toads, many native predators such as snakes, lizards and mammals are very sensitive to the toxin. So when the toads spread, they immediately kill off many of the region's top predators.'"

Simpsons quote

[AuMatar]

Skinner: Well, I was wrong. The lizards are a godsend.

Lisa: But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards?

Skinner: No problem. We simply release wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards.

Lisa: But aren't the snakes even worse?

Skinner: Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.

Lisa: But then we're stuck with gorillas! Skinner: No, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death.

Welcome

[jalvear]

I for one welcome our new toxic toads overlords!

Re:Why always Australia?

[Gavin Scott]

Rabbits, toads, etc. Why is it always Australia that has these problems?

Because Tokyo finally learned to cover these things up :-)

G.

Re:Simpsons quote

[Anonymous Coward]

That's an okay reference, I suppose. A better would be:

"Bufo marinus? I would'a called them Chazwazzes"

Re:And in recent news ...

[aussie_a]

I can't wait to hear about World War 2 beginning in 4 years time.

Re:Sounds like a job for..

[Anonymous Coward]

Nope, Cheney only shoots shark, not toad.

Problem Solved

[nexcomlink]

Just call in the french.

Re:Terrible Summary

[ZipR]

What do they mean 'evolved'? I think that several school boards across the country will agree with me when I say that the toads did not evolve, they were 'improved' by a 'designer.'

Toads Staying alive! Staying alive....

[aapold]

Last year, researchers announced they had successfully lured and trapped the toads using ultraviolet lights like those used in disco clubs.

Why do I see that scientist from the simpsons demonstrating his toad-trapping discoteque invention before a bunch of skeptical townsfolk?

Re:Us aussies have been playing cricket with them

[rubycodez]

managed to hit one around 100m down the road

so that's how they've tricked you all into helping them to spread at 60km/year instead of the expected 10km/year.

In other news...

[QuantumG]

Militants have taken over Russia! Calling themselves "Bolshivics" a group of Marxist seperatists, led by the charismatic "Lenin", recently siezed control of the city of Petrograd and fighting has spread to every other major city. Fighting in Moscow lasted about a week but has been relatively bloodless, not interrupting the opera or the ballet. Theaters, schools and government offices are still functioning but Bolshivic dominance of the Duma now seems assured.

Re:-=M-O-D Parent D-O-W-N Please=-

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

What a gay attempt at FP'ing. +5 just because you can cut and paste? Give me a break. But these people are the ones who get the modpoints.

Good Sir, know that you speak of TripMasterMonkey, whose karma whoring has passed into legend, even on these most whore filled of boards.

Exactly Where:

[slashbob22]

Tazmania [wikipedia.org] is an Island State to the south of Australia.

Re:Terrible Summary

[mjuarez]

Cane toads have been a problem in Australia for a very long time now....this is hardly news.

I was also wondering about this. I remember reading about the problem in a magazine about 20 years ago. Thanks for the clarification, and now that you just gave us the gist of the article, I won't have to spend energy reading it (although probably spent more writing this)... but whatever. Marcos

Re:Terrible Summary

[WankersRevenge]

Bless his great noodly appendage! [wikipedia.org]

Re:This is news?

[jdb8167]

The article might not be news but this is an old Usenet News classic:

Death of a Cane Toad [google.com]

Re:This is news?

[w.timmeh]

In Queensland (I'm not sure about other parts of Aussie), the only legally accepted method of killing these pests is by catching them and putting them in the freezer. Golf, cricket, rugby or any other "sporting" (or not as the case may be) method of disposing of the cane toads is actually in violation of state legislation.

The frozen toads may, however, be used as curling stones.

Re:Terrible Summary

[Belseth]

What do they mean 'evolved'? I think that several school boards across the country will agree with me when I say that the toads did not evolve, they were 'improved' by a 'designer.'

I'd like to take the opposite stance. Have you ever seen a Kane Toad? Anything that butte ugly couldn't have been Intellegently Designed so in fact proves the nonexistence of God! Wait a minute, God must be taken on faith. So if something so incredibly ugly exists then it must prove the nonexistence of God because to assume it must have been designed to rely on faith to prove God's existence then it proves God does not in fact exist. I was worried there for a moment. If anyone has any questions I'll be standing next to the Zebra Crossing sign.

Re:Nothing for you to see here...

[croddy]

zzzvzzvvzvvvwvvwwvwwwowwoowooomoommommmzmmzzmzzzvz zvvzvvvwvvwwvwwwowwoowooomoommommmzmmzzmzzzvzzvvzv vvwvvwwvwwwowwoowooomoommommmzmmzzmzzzvzzvvzvvvwvv wwvwwwowwoowooomoommommmzmmzzmzzzvzzvvzvvvwvvwwvww wowwoowooomoommommmzmmzzmzzzvzzvvzvvvwvvwwvwwwowwo owooomoommommmzmmzzmzzzvzzvvzvvvwvvwwvwwwowwoowooo

Re:Real story is the Ravens

[geekoid]

"it is going to be a disaster, but no one has any way to prevent it."

Four words:
"National Toad Wacking Month"

Futurama quote

[Anonymous Coward]

ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNO-TOAD

Re: Seems obvious

[skoaldipper]

What about all these Aussies now hunting down and chasing toads with pellet guns? That's an awful lot of exercise there mate. Why are there no reports of extra long legged Aussies now?

Re:Terrible Summary

[Philip K Dickhead]

I dunno. The Dinner Plates aspect has me intrigued.

Still, it's a story that's got legs on it.

Re:Terrible Summary

[mikael]

...and 'belseth' disappears in a puff of logic...

On Slashdot

[ackthpt]

The toads can grow as large as dinner plates and weigh up to 4.5 pounds. Their heads and backsides are studded with rows of warts that secrete a milky white toxin called bufotoxin. Because Australia has no native toads, many native predators such as snakes, lizards and mammals are very sensitive to the toxin. So when the toads spread, they immediately kill off many of the region's top predators.'"

I for one welcome our new toxic toads overlords!

On Slashdot we call them moderators

Re:Terrible Summary

[lgw]

They're from Hawaii?

More crap imported from the US.

The problem is, you stopped there. What you needed was the follow up: import thousands of shotgun-wielding Dick Cheneys to blast the toads. And, of course, the beauty of the plan is that the Dick Cheneys die in the winter.

Re:-=M-O-D Parent D-O-W-N Please=-

[macdaddy357]

Don't use the word, "gay" to mean bad. That's so retarded.

Re:Obviously a y2k problem...

[QuantumG]

I was impersonating a Slashdot story, spelling mistakes are a requirement.

Longer Legs? Disco Clubs?

[AeroIllini]

From TFA:

Toxic toads bound across the northern tropics of Australia faster than ever, thanks to the evolution of longer legs in the few short decades since humans introduced them to their own little paradise...Last year, researchers announced they had successfully lured and trapped the toads using ultraviolet lights like those used in disco clubs.

I guess those long legs are being put to good use. I'll bet that hallucinogenic stuff they secrete is a hit with the ladies on the dance floor.

Re:Terrible Summary

[catwh0re]

Here in Australia we've just discovered the Internet, so we're posting all our latest news articles from the 1930's to the Internet.

Next week's lead article "Australia goes to battle against EVIL Nazis!", then in a few years time we'll post the article "Dingo eats baby in outback Australia."

Re:-=M-O-D Parent D-O-W-N Please=-

[ShaneThePain]

Don't use the word "Retarded" to mean bad. Thats so gay.

Re:Terrible Summary

[Mistshadow2k4]

Dude, I dunno.... it's hard to imagine the duck-bill platypus evolving naturally. Kinda makes it looks like that not only is there a God but he gets crazy-ass drunk occasionally too.

Dick Cheney

[Anonymous Coward]

Dick Cheney and a shotgun will solve the problem...

Re:Simpsons quote

[Gadgetfreak]

The first thing I thought about when I saw the headline of the article was that Simpsons episode. The better quote, though, is

Owner: [sweeping a bunch of toads out] Get out, get out! Shoo, shoo.
              Get out of here, yuck! These bloody things are everywhere.
              They're in the lift, in the lorry, in the bond wizard, and all
              over the malonga gilderchuck.
Clerk: They're like kangaroos, but they're reptiles, they is.
Marge: We have them in America. They're called bullfrogs.
Clerk: What? That's an odd name. I'd have called them "chazzwazzers".

I take exception to this

[Anonymous Coward]

I Am The Designer and I resent your public discussions of my "great noodly appendage"(sic) [it is properly titled "Great Noodly Appendage", thank you]. Only my wife and doctor are allowed that freedom of discussion.

We tried that already...

[BiggerBoat]

...on Isla Nublar with the Lysine Contingency. Didn't work out too well.