Hello Michael, Tim and All,
On my first trip to FNQ in 1972 it was not uncommon to see Cane Toads up to
eight inches high how in the last ten years that I have lived here I have
only seen them half that height. I don't believe they are as common now as
then.
As some extra information in the last twelve months I heard an interview
with a PhD student who had determined that there were 99 species that were
able to use all or part of the toad as a food resource. In comparison there
were 50 species that fell victim to the Cane Toad's toxicity.
Prior to their introduction Death Adders were common at Mt. Molloy and
are now rarely encountered. The only area where I've seen Red-bellied Black
Snakes is around Mt. Lewis where there aren't any toads present. We see
Quolls as roadkills locally so it would seem that they have may have come to
terms with them somehow.
Is it possible that the toxins have a bitter taste to some of their
respective hunters?
I have heard of an adult Bustard swallowing three dead toads one after
the other! Both John Crowhurst and myself have witnessed Chestnut-breasted
Mannikins pecking their flesh as very flat roadkills, which is unusual for
finches.Sadly they have been around for so long it is difficult to
appreciate what their true impact has been.
Del Richards, Fine Feather Tours, Mossman, NQ.
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