Monster cane toad found in Australia

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A huge cane toad the size of a small dog has been captured in the Australian tropical city of Darwin, startling environmentalists who are fighting to stop the poisonous reptiles from spread across the country.

"It's a monster toad," said Paul Cowdy from FrogWatch which captured the cane toad on Monday night.

"We've never seen a cane toad this big," he said on Tuesday. "It's a male and normally females are bigger."

The cane toad, regarded as a major pest in Australia, was one of 39 caught by a group from FrogWatch near Lee Point in Darwin. It measures 20.5 cm (8 inches) in length and weighs 840 grams (1.8 pounds) -- twice the normal weight.

Cane toads are one of Australia's worst environmental mistakes. The spread of the toads, whose skin is poisonous, has led to dramatic declines in populations of native snakes, goanna lizards and quolls, which are cat-sized marsupials.

"We capture them, put them in plastic bags, freeze them and turn them into liquid fertiliser," Cowdy said of the cane toads.

Cane toads were introduced from Hawaii in 1935 in a failed bid to control native cane beetles. There are now more than 200 million.

"We capture them, put them in plastic bags, freeze them and turn them into liquid fertiliser," Cowdy said of the cane toads.
Why do I suddenly see an international PETA protest in Australia's future. :D

You wouldn't think that central Indiana is home to some bizarre species, but many years ago, when we were scything tall prairie grass on our farm, we ran across a giant toad or probably frog (it was green) that was fully a foot high and probably weighed several pounds. The creature had sustained some wounds and just sat there before it died.

I won't even mention the huge , PURPLE-black, almost legless spider we found in a thick concord- grape arbor on the same farm. The horrid critter had a body fully as big as a saucer.

There's some strange wildlife out there--and many species have yet to be identified--even in so-called civilized areas!

Damn, even!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/tormented/uk.jpg

You wouldn't think that central Indiana is home to some bizarre species, but many years ago, when we were scything tall prairie grass on our farm, we ran across a giant toad or probably frog (it was green) that was fully a foot high and probably weighed several pounds. The creature had sustained some wounds and just sat there before it died.

I won't even mention the huge , PURPLE-black, almost legless spider we found in a thick concord- grape arbor on the same farm. The horrid critter had a body fully as big as a saucer.

There's some strange wildlife out there--and many species have yet to be identified--even in so-called civilized areas!
did it look like one of these?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bull_frog

must have been corn feed:)

did it look like one of these?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bull_frog

must have been corn feed:)

It was much, much bigger, and not near as green.

It had cuts all over its poor self--like it'd been run over with a lawn mower.
It was a very strange, prehistoric looking creature.

The spider looked somewhat like this,


http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1826/200pxummidiaspro0.jpg







except it didn't have legs near as long--the legs were approx 2 inches long, and the body fat and huge. It fell to the ground and appeared to be helpless there. It was, without a doubt, the most bizarre creature I've ever seen, next to the 8 inch long yellow and black striped WASP that was sitting on a broom handle one night.

Folks, it's a jungle out there.

Fuck that spider is scary.

except it didn't have legs near as long--the legs were approx 2 inches long, and the body fat and huge. It fell to the ground and appeared to be helpless there. It was, without a doubt, the most bizarre creature I've ever seen, next to the 8 inch long yellow and black striped WASP that was sitting on a broom handle one night.

Folks, it's a jungle out there.
You're not just kidding about the mutant insects out there. I was in NY and had repainted a refrigerator, so I had the back door open to get fresh ar. I heard a bee coming *I'm half deaf, btw* and by the time I heard it, it had already entered the house. I swear it was near the size of a closed fist. I couldn't believe my eyes.