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Cane Toad DNA Breakthrough 'may Help Stop' Toxic Pest

Cane toads are highly adaptive and release a destructive toxin

Scientists say they have unlocked the DNA blueprint of the cane toad, raising fresh hopes of slowing the animal's destruction of habitats.

The amphibian, native to South America, has become a prolific pest since it was introduced in other parts of the world last century.

In Australia, it has spread rapidly and had a deadly impact on native wildlife.

Researchers say the draft genome could be a crucial step in efforts to halt the animal's march.

"Sequencing the genome is the quantum leap that means we can understand it better and start to do lots of other things around its control," said emeritus Prof Rick Shine, a study co-author from the University of Sydney.

The international team of researchers said the discovery would offer biological clues about the animal's evolution.

The study used advanced computers to sequence 360 billion DNA pairs and construct the "genome jigsaw". More than 90% of the cane toad's genes were found, they said.

Invasive threat

Cane toads are highly adaptable and can be found in more than 130 countries, the researchers said.

Since being introduced to Australia in 1935 to control a sugarcane beetle, the species has spread rapidly across the nation.

Scientists says cane toads are evolving rapidly

Cane toads threaten many larger species - such as snakes, lizards and even crocodiles - which ingest the amphibian's deadly toxin.

"It is a very adaptable and invasive animal - it came from a wet jungle and was able to hop across arid desert in northern Australia," Prof Peter White, from the University of New South Wales, told the BBC.

"That shows you the capability it has to evolve to the environment."

With a genome in place, it will be easier and cheaper to track evolutionary changes in other cane toads, Prof White said.

Control hopes

Prof White said they had also discovered three new viruses within the DNA which could be used as "bio-controls". Such methods have been successful in controlling rabbit populations.

However, further research was required to determine whether the viruses could harm other species.

"There's a lot more work to be done. However, this research is the first - but most important - step in finding an effective way to control the cane toad," Prof White said.

Lizards trained not to eat toxic toads

Cane Toad Poisoning Emergency Response Kit Aims At Lowering Pet Deaths In Collier County

>> IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, IT'S CRUCIAL TO KEEP YOUR EYES OUT FOR ALL KINDS OF WILDLIFE, ESPECIALLY WHEN OUT AND ABOUT WITH YOUR PET, ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES IS CANE TOADS. YOUR PET COULD DIE IF THEY LOOK ONE. BUT NOW YOU CAN GET A KIT THAT COULD SAVE YOUR PET. NBC TWO'S, RIGHT. OUR BIGGEST SHOWS US HOW IT WORKS. >> IF YOUR DOG BITES ONE OF THESE, IT COULD BE DEAD IN MINUTES. IF IT'S THIS TOXIN, THAT'S MOUTH. THE CLOCK IS TICKING. BUT NOW THERE'S A NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART WAY TO MAKE SURE YOUR DOG MAKES IT TO THE VET. THIS RED BOX COULD BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TRAGEDY AND A MIRACLE FOR YOUR FURRY FRIEND. >> IT'S CALLED THE CAIN POISONING EMERGENCY RESPONSE KIT. >> IT ACTUALLY TEACHES YOU WHAT TO DO TO KIND OF GET THE TALKS AND OUT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. WE HAVE COMPONENTS IN IT THAT BASICALLY HELP TO BIND WITH THE TOXIN. THAT WILL ALSO GIVE YOU MORE TIME TO GET TO THE VET. TOAD BUSTERS FOUNDER JANINE TILFORD HAS ALL THE EGGS IN ONE BASKET. >> OPENING THIS FIRST AID KIT OF SORTS. YOU'LL FIND A SQUEEZE. BOTTLE RAGS ACTIVATED CHARCOAL AND MORE WAYS OF SLOWING THIS MILKY WHITE SUBSTANCE IS SPREAD BECAUSE WHEN IT COMES TO THESE TOXIC TOADS SECONDS MATTER. >> IT'S AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO LIKE GIVE YOU SOME TOOLS TO TRY TO SAVE YOUR DOG BECAUSE IT CAN AT TINY DOG CAN BE, YOU KNOW, IN. DEAD IN LIKE 5 MINUTES DURING THE RAINY SEASON IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. A COMBINATION OF HEAT AND HUMIDITY MAKES THESE INVASIVE PESTS MUCH MORE PREVALENT, ESPECIALLY IN PLACES LIKE WORLD STATES AND NEAR BODIES OF WATER. >> FWC SAYS THERE'S AT LEAST HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THEM HOPPING ALL OVER SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. YOU'RE HERE. >> AND SEE THESE GIGANTIC TOADS THAT COME OUT AT NIGHT. AND I THINK SHOWED THAT IS PROBABLY A GOOD WAY TO AND THEY'RE LIKE I CAUGHT TOADS AND FROGS. AS A KID GROWING UP. BUT THESE ARE LIKE SIZE OF A PANCAKE. MOM. CHELSEA JOB FOR, YOU KNOW, KIDS. NOW THE TOOLS TO PROTECT THEIR 2 DOGS. >> THEY'VE ALREADY HAD COLLECTIONS DONE AND INSTALLED THIS UNDERGROUND FENCE. BUT DESPITE ALL THAT, THE TONE STILL FIND THEIR WAY IN. I EVERY NIGHT, PROBABLY LIKE 5 OR THE IDEA IS NEW TO THE INVASIVE SPECIES. TRAPPERS OF OUR AREA. BUT THE CHANCE TO PREVENT YOUR DOG'S DEATH, EVEN AS THE EXPERTS ON SOMETIMES THE ANIMALS DON'T EVEN MAKE IT TO THAT. >> SO IF THEY CAN, I HELP PROLONG IT TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT THEN THAT'S GREAT. THE KIT IS AVAILABLE ONLINE EVERYWHERE AND IS RECOMMENDED TO BE PLACED IN A SPOT WITH EASY

Cane toad poisoning emergency response kit aims at lowering pet deaths in Collier County

The box contains things that can slow the spread of the toxin while on the way to a veterinarian.

Updated: 11:19 AM EST Dec 17, 2024

With high humidity and rainfall during the wet season in Southwest Florida, invasive cane toads are becoming much more prevalent across Collier County, especially in the evenings.There is no exact number of cane toads in our community, but experts estimate numbers to be in the hundreds of thousands, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC)."You hear and see these gigantic toads that come out at night basically screaming — I think Jabba the Hutt is probably a good way to describe it. I caught toads and frogs as a kid growing up, but these are like the size of a pancake," said Chelsea, a homeowner in Northern Golden Gate Estates. Cane toads are extremely poisonous, excreting a milky-white toxin from their shoulders called bufotoxin, which is released from fatty portions of the toads' shoulders when the animal is squeezed or bit. Dogs are particularly vulnerable since the toads are slow moving and often chewed on by pets off their leash. "If your dog bites one of these, you have minutes, I would say minutes, sometimes less than 5 minutes. I've had people where their dogs died within 20, and it also depends on the size of your dog," said Seth Brattain, the owner of the Naples-based invasive animal removal service SlethReptiles.Local trappers typically offer collections for the toads, and underground fences to prevent them from entering backyards and properties. However, the West Palm Beach-based company Toad Busters (which also operates locally), is now selling a kit to help protect your pets in the event of an emergency. "We created a kit that not only had the instructions in it, but it also has things you need to do that you can do to save your pet. So far we've had about three or four veterinarians contact us to tell us that because of the kit, the owners were able to save their dogs' lives. It actually teaches you what to do to kind of get the toxin out as much as possible. We have components in it that basically help to bind with the toxin. That will also give you more time to get to the vet," said Jeannine Tilford, the owner of Toad Busters, who sells the kit. Dubbed the Cane Toad Poisoning Emergency Response Kit, the red medical kit contains the following items, which could elongate the time your dog survives before needing medical care:• (1) Water bottle with a fine nozzle to help move toxins from the gum line• (3) Rags to wipe the dog's mouth• Activated charcoal to help prevent the absorption of toxins from the stomach and intestine• Syringe to administer charcoal• Flashlight• Gloves• Goggles• Instructional booklet"You have to go through it and know what to do. It's just like if somebody had a heart attack, you know, you call have somebody call 911, you start CPR immediately. You don't have the time to, you know, spend 15 minutes looking," added Tilford. The kit can be shipped across the country via online orders. In addition to the kit, mitigation tactics include nightly collections (done by you or a professional), underground fencing, and keeping an eye on your pet during nighttime walks.

NAPLES, Fla. —

With high humidity and rainfall during the wet season in Southwest Florida, invasive cane toads are becoming much more prevalent across Collier County, especially in the evenings.

There is no exact number of cane toads in our community, but experts estimate numbers to be in the hundreds of thousands, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC).

"You hear and see these gigantic toads that come out at night basically screaming — I think Jabba the Hutt is probably a good way to describe it. I caught toads and frogs as a kid growing up, but these are like the size of a pancake," said Chelsea, a homeowner in Northern Golden Gate Estates.

Cane toads are extremely poisonous, excreting a milky-white toxin from their shoulders called bufotoxin, which is released from fatty portions of the toads' shoulders when the animal is squeezed or bit. Dogs are particularly vulnerable since the toads are slow moving and often chewed on by pets off their leash.

"If your dog bites one of these, you have minutes, I would say minutes, sometimes less than 5 minutes. I've had people where their dogs died within 20, and it also depends on the size of your dog," said Seth Brattain, the owner of the Naples-based invasive animal removal service SlethReptiles.

Local trappers typically offer collections for the toads, and underground fences to prevent them from entering backyards and properties. However, the West Palm Beach-based company Toad Busters (which also operates locally), is now selling a kit to help protect your pets in the event of an emergency.

"We created a kit that not only had the instructions in it, but it also has things you need to do that you can do to save your pet. So far we've had about three or four veterinarians contact us to tell us that because of the kit, the owners were able to save their dogs' lives. It actually teaches you what to do to kind of get the toxin out as much as possible. We have components in it that basically help to bind with the toxin. That will also give you more time to get to the vet," said Jeannine Tilford, the owner of Toad Busters, who sells the kit.

Dubbed the Cane Toad Poisoning Emergency Response Kit, the red medical kit contains the following items, which could elongate the time your dog survives before needing medical care:

• (1) Water bottle with a fine nozzle to help move toxins from the gum line

• (3) Rags to wipe the dog's mouth

• Activated charcoal to help prevent the absorption of toxins from the stomach and intestine

• Syringe to administer charcoal

• Flashlight

• Gloves

• Goggles

• Instructional booklet

"You have to go through it and know what to do. It's just like if somebody had a heart attack, you know, you call have somebody call 911, you start CPR immediately. You don't have the time to, you know, spend 15 minutes looking," added Tilford.

The kit can be shipped across the country via online orders. In addition to the kit, mitigation tactics include nightly collections (done by you or a professional), underground fencing, and keeping an eye on your pet during nighttime walks.

Hurricane Helene May Have Spread Invasive Eels, Snails And More

The devastating toll Hurricane Helene inflicted on Georgia this fall will be felt for years in hard hit parts of the state. The storm caused an estimated $5.5 billion in damage to the state's agriculture and forestry sectors, plus billions more in property losses — and claimed at least 33 lives.

Hurricane Helene left at least 56 people dead and caused widespread destruction across the Southeast, leaving millions without power.

But death and destruction may not be all Helene left behind: New federal projections show the storm might have helped spread invasive species, too.

An analysis released this week by the U.S. Geological Survey shows Hurricane Helene may have allowed as many as 222 nonnative and invasive species to infiltrate farther into parts of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and even deep into the Appalachian Mountains. Of those, 90 are considered invasive, meaning their potential introduction to new territory could threaten human health, the environment and the economy.

Hurricane Milton, which slammed Florida as a Category 3 storm about two weeks after Helene, may have dispersed unwanted critters of its own. The USGS' early projections show the storm could have spread roughly 114 species, including 56 invasives. Most of Milton's spread likely occurred on the Florida Peninsula, but rain from the storm that stretched into southeast Georgia could have allowed unwanted plants and creatures to expand their range there, too.

Credit: Paul Shafland, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation

Credit: Paul Shafland, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation

The agency did not analyze the effects of Hurricane Debby, which brought heavy flooding to Georgia and the Carolinas in August, though over a much smaller area.

USGS started conducting these surveys after major storms following Hurricane Harvey, which triggered historic flooding in the Houston area in 2017. The researchers rely on a mix of stream and river gauge readings, topographical data and information on the known presence of species to make their projections.

Hurricane Helene made landfall in late September in Florida's Big Bend Region as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 140 miles per hour, ranking as one of the strongest storms on record to hit the U.S. Helene's powerful winds mangled structures, crops and timber stocks across Georgia, but the inland flooding it unleashed — especially in the Carolinas and Tennessee — was to blame for the most severe damage.

Those same floodwaters may have provided avenues for invasives to spread, particularly aquatic species, said Ian Pfingsten, a USGS botanist who contributed to the analyses for Helene and Milton. An estimated 100 species had the potential to spread in Georgia via flooding or swollen waterways caused by the storms, Pfingsten said.

"We're dealing with species that can not only float and disperse, like plants and mollusks, but also a lot of fish that will actively swim through the floodwaters," he said.

Among the most concerning species that may have capitalized on the temporary travel corridors in Georgia are the Asian swamp eel, the giant applesnail and the cane toad.

Asian swamp eels, Monopterus albus, are native to India, Myanmar, China and other pockets of Asia but were introduced into ponds around the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell in the mid-1990s, likely after being dumped from a home aquarium. The species has since proliferated in the Chattahoochee River Basin, particularly around Atlanta.

Atlanta saw record rainfall and major flooding during Helene, especially along tributaries of the Chattahoochee, and USGS experts said the high water could have given the eels an opportunity to venture downstream. Asian swamp eels are known to harbor dangerous parasites that can harm humans and other animals.

Credit: C.R. Morningstar, USGS

Giant applesnails, Pomacea maculata, might have also benefited from the storms. Native to the Amazon River basin and other parts of South America, the giant snails are already found in many Georgia waterways, including the Upper Chattahoochee River, the Lower Flint River and many more across South Georgia.

The snails are typically tan-brown or yellow and black with striped patterns, but are best distinguished by the wide opening to their shell. Applesnails are a known agricultural pest and, like eels, carry dangerous nematodes capable of causing serious illness in humans.

Then there's the cane toad, Rhinella marina, an enormous, wart-covered amphibian native to South America.

The toads, which can weigh as much as 3 pounds, are already established in Florida and pockets of the Gulf Coast. Cane toads pack glands containing a toxic secretion that can poison dogs, cats and even people who come into contact with it.

Credit: Ian Hitchcock

Georgia wildlife officials say there have been sporadic cane toad sightings in the state before, but no breeding populations have been confirmed. USGS experts said there are no indications for now the hurricanes brought more of the pests to Georgia, but it could have been possible for tadpoles to hitch a ride in floodwaters.

Georgia already has its share of destructive invasive species.

Just weeks ago, state agriculture officials confirmed the spotted lanternfly, an invasive fly known for its stinky and destructive secretions, has been found in the state, but its arrival is likely unrelated to the hurricanes.

Still, Georgia officials said they are keeping their eyes open — and have asked the public to do the same.

A spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Agriculture said the agency has not seen an uptick in invasives after past storms but encouraged Georgians to remain vigilant if they see unusual plants, insects or animals. The public can report potential sightings by emailing pestid@agr.Georgia.Gov, but the agency said it's "vital" that photos or specimens themselves are captured, if it's safe to do so.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said it is aware that storms can help spread invasive species, but so far, staff contacted had not confirmed any new cases linked to hurricane season.

Fish and Amphibians