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The Rise of Australia’s Cannibal Toads
When your own species becomes your worst enemy.
Australia is home to some of the most terrifying creatures in the animal kingdom. From giant saltwater crocodiles to the small but furious Tasmanian devils. The country houses the most venomous snake on the planet — the Inland Taipan — and its waters harbor the most venomous creatures of the seven seas. Among those are the almost invisible sea wasp, by far the most dangerous of box jellyfishes, and the silent but deadly blue-ringed octopus.
It’s an impressive list; however, there has been one recent addition: cannibal cane toads.
By the second half of the 19th century, the sugar industry began to take off in Australia and sugar plantations were established ever farther north, at the frontier of colonization. Periodic droughts were and remain a common issue for Australia’s agriculture, however the major problem facing sugar farms were native cane beetles, whose larvae feed on the roots of sugar canes. Pressured by the sugar lobby, the Australian government started working on a solution.
At the time, farmers relied heavily on insect-eating predators like wasps, birds and toads as biological pest controls, since modern insecticides had not been developed yet. In fact, it was a common practice to experimentally release exotic…