Rufous Night Heron dismembering Cane Toads.

["Philip Veerman" <>]

Diaphragms? Sorry but that is not what is involved. They are an amphibian,
not a mammal! Only mammals have a diaphragm.

Philip

-----Original Message-----
From: 
 On Behalf Of Tony Keene
Sent: Wednesday, 1 February 2012 4:59 PM
To: Tom Tarrant; Del Richards
Cc: Birding-aus
Subject: Roufous Night Heron dismembering Cane Toads.


If I heard correctly, the crows were making a tiny hole and extracting the
liver. This meant that without the pressure against their diaphragms, the
toads kept on inhaling until rupturing, apparently splattering entrails up
to a metre away.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_animal#Toads
 I've heard of Black Butcherbirds ripping toads open down the length of
their bellies after flipping them over.  Hopefully, these pests will be a
welcome major food source for native birds in the future.  Cheers,

 Tony