WTF happened to all the cane toads?

I'm slightly north of you ZP and have noticed many less Kerry Cane toads as well [half a dozen instead of multitudes]- the upside for me is that now for the first time in a long while I have frogs here [got a little pond set-up in backyard] calling and breeding going by the bunch of bubble froth in the corner :-) yaay!

Another thought is that all the massive floods we had last year, [even though we never went under] greatly reduced the population in general. I wonder what or if they seeing numbers differences up north?

You could be on the money there. Cane toads do seem to come out in the rain but are not aquatic.
Maybe a whole heap drowned or failed to breed?
Or maybe their eggs got washed out to sea en mass?
Or maybe the mother ship came and took them back to planet Ugly?

Interesting, I saw this thread pop up a couple of days ago, and decided to keep an eye out for the buggers up here - but I gotta admit - I'm not seeing any lately.

It has been raining non-stop for the last couple of days, so if they are around, I should be hearing or seeing them every evening, but none for a while now.

Weird or what!

I'm gonna check around with neighbours and see what gives.

The story of Baz.

Cane Toad

Yeah, do that. I looked around last night in the rain and came up almost empty handed.
I'm not exactly heart broken or anything but it's pretty strange.
I'm curious for a normal rational explanation from someone who understands amphibians to be honest.

Check this out ZP

[link to www.fdrproject.org.au]

written in 2010 it mentions how Cane Toads have declined over the last ten years, Yasi being one cause and they think fungal & virus issues too.

Thanks mate! Interesting.
Funnily enough, all the toads I HAVE seen lately have been skinny little young ones.
I haven't been out looking tonight yet, I'll try and find a big healthy one.

Heres another - detection & control of a breeding lair in Sydney
[link to www.theage.com.au]

not that we'd get that type of action up here.

take for example yellow myrtle rust - new in oz, originated in northern nsw from illegal plant imports - capable of wiping out lilly pillies, bottlebrush, melaleuca etc etc etc.

I've come across it in a client yard & rang DPI - all they do is put a goddamn dot on a map - they reckon it's too widespread now [because NO-ONE has done anything] - so now it's up to ME on whether i take steps to minimise spread [fungicide and sterilising tools, destruction of infected plants - oh wait we cant burn off - hence anthracnose probs in mangoes from dead leaves] or I do what every other slack-arsed mongrel is doing and carry on like usual and be a vector....

don't get me started on the asian honey bee fiasco [dpi - oh it's tooo hard, we're not bothering] arggh

Here's another thought - we've read about boom-time for snakes lately. Well, we could assume that the Keelback snake is on of them! Add the fact that all those floods would have spread to Keelback to new pastures.

This site argues against creating vius etc to fight the toad and raises some valid points -

"...In more ways than one, the keelback snake offers reason to be optimistic that if left to its own devices, the Australian ecosystem will not only reduce toad numbers of its own accord, but may even eliminate them completely. The keelback snake is non-venomous freshwater snake that is immune to the toad's toxins. It has this immunity because its distant ancestor evolved eating toads somewhere in Asia. This begs the question, if a freshwater toad-eating snake was able to migrate to Australia from Asia in the distant past, why wasn't an Asian toad able to do the same?

Perhaps one did, but it went extinct because it was unsuited to Australian conditions. Just because the Australian ecosystem was completely free of toads in 1788 doesn’t mean there were not toads in a previous time. If there were toads, it would be understandable as to why they died out. The synthesis of toxins requires a great deal of energy. If predators develop an ability to either eat around the toxins, or detoxify them, then the synthesis of the toxins puts the toads at a significant disadvantage compared to frogs that may instead devote excess energy to synthesising fat for the kind of tough times that have always occurred in Australia. A strength becomes a weakness..."
[link to www.convictcreations.com]

wonder what THIS snake was hunting? :-D
[link to calamvalecreek.awardspace.com]

I've always thought their numbers would stabilise over time.
Maybe we can hope it has happened this quickly?

I went outside last night after the rain eased (we've had over 150mm in 24 hours, ie 6" old scale) and the sound of the local native frogs was incredibly loud - they were really going for it. It would have been hard to have a conversation on our verandah and be heard.

I couldn't see ANY cane toads in the usual spots, ie where lights attract insects etc on the driveway or verandah, and further - I haven't heard them for a while either. Mind you, they don't make as much noise as the native frogs, but they have a very distinct and loud call - which seems remarkably absent lately.

Fingers crossed they aren't just in hiding while the weather is cooler...

I went out looking last night with the same result.
HEAPS of native frog calls!
Spotted 4 toads, none very big, 1 looked downright emaciated.
I heard 1 toad call off in the distance.
I don't normally bother killing toads, but I'm thinking now maybe I'll start?
Maybe kicking them while they're down could actually achieve a result?
Can we dare to dream?

Looks like the quolls are eating them...

[link to www.abc.net.au]

How to identify a Cane Toad - including recording of its call

[link to www.environment.nsw.gov.au]


What frogs do you have?
easiest to search by bioregion- most listings have recording of their call
[link to frogsaustralia.net.au]

:whatcat:

[link to www.youtube.com]

How did I know you'd clean it up...

I know the toad call pretty well.
Last night, even fewer toads spotted again.
I'm daring to dream!

If its true about the Cane Toads dying off then any you kill now will be evolutionary survivors. Kill them! Kill them now!

Then go to the ponds and feed the bits to the meat ants.