Bufo marinus

The cane toad (Rhinella marina), also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad native to South and mainland Central America, but which has been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania and the Caribbean, as well as Northern Australia.

The cane toad has poison glands, and the tadpoles are highly toxic to most animals if ingested. Its toxic skin can kill many animals, both wild and domesticated, and cane toads are particularly dangerous to dogs.

DESCRIPTION

• A juvenile cane toad exhibits many features of adult toads but lacks the large parotoid glands.

• Considered the largest species in Bufonidae, the cane toad is quite substantial; females are notably longer than males, reaching an average length of 10–15 cm (4–6 inches), with a maximum size of 24 cm (9.4 inches).

• The skin of the cane toad is dry and warty. Distinct ridges above the eyes run down the snout.

• Individual cane toads can be gray, yellowish, red-brown, or olive-brown, with varying patterns.

•  A large parotoid gland lies behind each eye.

• The ventral surface is cream-colored and may have blotches in shades of black or brown.

• The pupils are horizontal, and the irises are golden. The toes have fleshy webbing at their base, and the fingers are free of webbing.

• Typically, juvenile cane toads have smooth, dark skin, although some specimens have a reddish tint.

• Juveniles lack the large parotoid glands found in adults, making them usually less poisonous.

• The tadpoles are small and uniformly black, often forming schools and dwelling at the bottom. Tadpoles range from 10 to 25 mm (0.4 to 1.0 inches) in length.

REPRODUCTION

• The cane toad begins life as an egg, which is laid as part of long strings of jelly in water.

• A female lay 8,000–25,000 eggs at once and the strings can stretch up to 20 m (66 ft) in length.

• The black eggs are covered by a membrane and their diameter is about 1.7–2.0 mm (0.067–0.079 in). The rate at which an egg grows into a tadpole increases with temperature.

• Tadpoles typically hatch within 48 hours, but the period can vary from 14 hours to almost a week. This process usually involves thousands of tadpoles—which are small, black, and have short tails—forming into groups.

• Between 12 and 60 days are needed for the tadpoles to develop into juveniles, with four weeks being typical. Similarly, to their adult counterparts, eggs and tadpoles are toxic to many animals.

• When they emerge, toadlets typically are about 10–11 mm (0.39–0.43 in) in length, and grow rapidly.

• While the rate of growth varies by region, time of year, and gender, an average initial growth rate of 0.647 mm (0.0255 in) per day is seen, followed by an average rate of 0.373 mm (0.0147 in) per day.

• Growth typically slows once the toads reach sexual maturity. This rapid growth is important for their survival; in the period between metamorphosis and sub adulthood, the young toads lose the toxicity that protected them as eggs and tadpoles, but have yet to fully develop the parotoid glands that produce bufotoxin

HABITAT

The cane toad (Bufo marinus) is typically found in tropical and subtropical habitats, including rainforests, grasslands, agricultural areas, urban environments, and near freshwater breeding sites.