Cane Toads

Genus: Rhinella
Species: R. marina
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
The cane toad (Rhinella marina), also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, terrestrial toad native to South and Central America, but which has been introduced to many other countries  including Australia where it has become a serious threat to many native Australian animal species. Use the resources on this page to help you find out more about cane toads. 
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KEYWORDS  
cane toad; amphibian; cane beetle; introduced species; quoll; predator; invasion; toxin; trophic cascade; biological control; Bufo marinus
FOCUS QUESTIONS
  1. What are cane toads?
  2. What is their natural habitat?
  3. When were they introduced into Australia?
  4. Why were they introduced?
  5. What is the current population of cane toads?​
  6. How quickly to they reproduce?
  7. At what rate is their population increasing?
  8. Why is it so difficult to manage their numbers?
  9. Which animal species are most impacted by the cane toad?
  10. Why are they so dangerous to native species?
  11. ​What is being done to try and slow down their migration and population growth?
  12. How have cane toads impacted the biodiversity in areas where they have migrated to?
  13. ​What are some things that you can do if you come across one or more cane toads?
Resources
Cane Toad - National Geographic 
Cane Toad - The Australian Museum
The Cane Toad Fact Sheet
10 Facts about Cane Toads
Cane Toad Facts for Kids
Cane Toads - Kidcyber
Cane Toads - NSW Environment and Heritage

10 ideas to show your knowledge about cane toads

 1)   Create an infographic that shows the negative impact that cane toads have of native Australian animals.
2)  Create a mini documentary that discusses cane toads and the devastating impact they are having on Australian native species.
3) Use Scratch, Scratch junior or another animation tool to create an animation that shows the increase in population of cane toads and how they are spreading across Northern Australia.
​4) Use a mind mapping tool to create an interactive mind map that has embedded images, video and web links all about cane toads.
5) Create a VOKI animation (like the one above) that gives important information that you found out about cane toads.
6) Write a poem or create a picture book that shows the negative impact of cane toads on Australian animals.
7) Create a word cloud of words / vocabulary around cane toads. HINT: you can start with the words listed above in the KEYWORDS section. What other words can you find?
​8)  Create a timeline that shows the progression of the cane toad across northern Australian since the time it was first introduced.
9)   Newscasts: create a news cast that describes the seriousness of the spread of cane toads across Northern Australia.
10)  Brainstorm ideas around how you might help stop the spread of cane toads.

Worksheets and Activities