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Rufous Night Heron dismembering Cane Toads.

To: "'Philip Veerman'" <>, "'Tony Keene'" <>
Subject: Rufous Night Heron dismembering Cane Toads.
From: "Stephen Ambrose" <>
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 08:33:09 +1100
Yes, Phillip is correct. An adult frog breathes in by lowering the floor of
the buccal cavity (i.e. floor of the mouth), drawing air in through the
nares (nostrils) while the mouth is closed, and expels air by raising the
floor of the buccal cavity. There's also some exchange of oxygen & carbon
dioxide across the skin through diffusion.

Stephen Ambrose
Ryde, NSW


-----Original Message-----
From: 
 On Behalf Of Philip Veerman
Sent: Wednesday, 1 February 2012 11:45 PM
To: 'Tony Keene'
Cc: 
Subject: Rufous Night Heron dismembering Cane Toads.

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




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