‘Toadzilla’: Giant cane toad found in North Queensland

A ‘toadzilla’ believed to be the largest cane toad size on record has been discovered in North Queensland.

Rangers doing track work in Conway National Park near Airlie Beach stumbled across the giant amphibian next to the Conway Circuit last week.

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A snake slithering across the track prompted rangers to stop their vehicle, ranger Kylee Gray said.

As she got out and looked down, she saw the giant cane toad.

“I reached down and grabbed the cane toad and couldn’t believe how big and heavy it was,” Gray said.

“We named it Toadzilla and quickly put it in a container so we could remove it from the wild.

“A cane toad this size will eat anything it can fit in its mouth, including insects, reptiles, and small mammals.”

Rangers believe it was a female because of its size, Gray said.

“Female cane toads grow larger than males,” she said.

“When we got back to base, she weighed 2.7kg, which could be a new record.

“It was found at an altitude of 393m, which is not unusual, but due to its size, it has attracted a lot of interest from our rangers.

“I’m not sure how old it is, but cane toads can live up to 15 years in the wild, so these have been around for a long time. We are glad to have removed them from the national park.

“The Queensland Museum is interested in including it as it may be the largest on record.”

The cane toad was introduced to Queensland in 1935 to control the cane beetle.

Specimens over 2.5 kg are considered quite rare.

The invasive species can be fatally toxic to wildlife and has led to the local extinction of some of its predators.