Here's a summary of the situation...........
It seems that in the 1930s a beetle was devouring Australian sugar cane crops, so a successful effort was made in 1935 to import some 102 poisonous South American cane toads to eat the beetles. And you guessed......they didn't eat the beetles.........and these toads have multiplied to exceed 1.5 billion across the continent, and are killing all sorts of other animals via the poison in their skin.
But Nature sometimes has amazing ways of dealing with such creature imbalances.........enter the Australian water rat. Seemingly with thoughtful purpose, the rats will hold down a toad on its back and proceed to slit the toad's underside to remove its poisonous gall bladder, then eat the liver and non-toxic muscle meat. All while the toad is still alive...........
So while we are busy on our cell phones, adaptation is alive and well!
Do you suppose 1.5 billion toads would fill up all the containers on the biggest cargo carrier ship??
Cane Toad
