Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR)

Bufo marinus
(Bufonidae)

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Species description or overview Taxonomy & nomenclature Impacts Dispersal and pathways Control methods Images
Distribution Books In the news Full-text articles Experts Other resources

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The so-called cane toad (Bufo marinus) is a large brown to grayish-brown toad with warty skin, usually 6-9" in length at maturity, and weighing up to four pounds. Bufo marinus takes approximately one year to reach maturity, and may live from 10-40 years.  The skin of the toad has glands that produce an irritant which can be toxic--even lethal--to other small animals, and cause irritation of eyes and mucus membranes in humans. Cane toads have a wide diet and will eat almost any animal they can fit into their mouths, although their normal prey is insects. 


Species description or overview

Information about Bufo marinus from IUCN's ISSG/GISD
Information about Bufo marinus is available from the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD) (a product of IUCN's Invasive Species Specialist Group [ISSG]).

The cane toad (Bufo marinus) in Australia/New Zealand
Information about the cane toad (Bufo marinus) in Australia/New Zealand is provided by authorities and Canberra University in Australia.

Cane toad species profile (USDA)
Cane toad (Rhinella marina, formerly Bufo marinus) information, including video, sound sample, citations, and overviews, is provided by the National Invasive Species Information Center.

Bufo marinus description and ecology from GISD (ISSG)
A species description and information about the ecology of Bufo marinus as an invasive species is provided from the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD). GISD was created and is maintained by IUCN's Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG).

Giant toad (Bufo marinus) overview
Giant toad (Bufo marinus) information, images, and call are from the University of Florida, Florida Wildlife Extension.


Taxonomy & nomenclature

Bufo marinus information from ITIS
The Integrated Taxonomic Information System ITIS provides authoritative taxonomic information on Bufo marinus, as well as other plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.


Impacts

Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy (2000) View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
The status of invasive plants, vertebrates, arthropods, molluscs, and crustaceans, and options for a regional invasive species strategy for the South Pacific are presented in this series of articles from the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, 2000.

Toads poisoning "medical" snakes (video)
Australia's king brown snakes, milked for antivenom production, are eating poisonous cane toads and dying from the toads' toxin (National Geographic news, 6/27/2008).

Invasive predators: A synthesis of the past, present, and future View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
Effects of various invasive predators on prey populations are described in a synthesis from USDA APHIS.

Bufo marinus impact information from GISD (ISSG)
Impact information regarding Bufo marinus as an invasive species is provided from the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD). GISD was created and is maintained by IUCN's Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG).


Dispersal and pathways

Using pathway analysis to inform prevention strategies for alien reptiles and amphibians View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
Analyses of 5,700 introductions of alien reptiles and amphibians worldwide provided pathway information necessary for design of informed prevention programs (F. Krauss, Bishop Museum, Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species: Proceedings of an International Symposium, 2007).


Control methods

Bufo marinus management information from GISD (ISSG)
Management information for Bufo marinus as an invasive species is provided from the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD). GISD was created and is maintained by IUCN's Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG).


Images

Bufo marinus - cane toad (Bufonidae - Anura)
Images, web sites, news articles, blog entries, videos, and books are compiled by google on this Reptiles and Amphibians of Hawaii site.

Giant toad (Bufo marinus) overview
Giant toad (Bufo marinus) information, images, and call are from the University of Florida, Florida Wildlife Extension.


Distribution

Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy (2000) View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
The status of invasive plants, vertebrates, arthropods, molluscs, and crustaceans, and options for a regional invasive species strategy for the South Pacific are presented in this series of articles from the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, 2000.

Bufo marinus worldwide distribution from GISD (ISSG)
Worldwide distribution information about Bufo marinus is provided from the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD). GISD was created and is maintained by IUCN's Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG).


Books

A field guide to reptiles and amphibians in the Hawaiian Islands
McKeown, Sean. 1996. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians in the Hawaiian Islands. Diamond Head Publishing, Inc. 172 pp. Illus. ISBN: 0-9650731-0-6.


In the news

Toads poisoning "medical" snakes (video)
Australia's king brown snakes, milked for antivenom production, are eating poisonous cane toads and dying from the toads' toxin (National Geographic news, 6/27/2008).

Invasive species: Toad-ally out of control
Bufo marinus, the cane toad, proves how misuse of biological control agents can lead to the catastrophic mismanagement of our natural world. This article recounts how the introduction of 100 toads from Hawaii to Australia to control pests in cane fields has resulted in a national ecological disaster.


Full-text articles

Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy
South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP). Sherley, Greg (ed.) . 2000. Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy. Apia, Samoa: South Pacific Regional Environment Programme. ISBN: 982-04-0214-X.

An updated, indexed bibliography of the herpetofauna of Florida
Enge, Kevin M. 2002. An updated, indexed bibliography of the herpetofauna of Florida. Technical report no. 19.

Herpetological inventory in West Hawaii National Parks: Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site
Bazzano, Jason. 2007. Herpetological inventory in West Hawaii National Parks: Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site. Technical Report 141. Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Honolulu. 30 pp. illus.


Experts

Bufo marinus contacts from GISD (ISSG)
Contact information for experts on Bufo marinus as an invasive species is provided from the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD). GISD was created and is maintained by IUCN's Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG).


Other resources

Bufo marinus references from GISD (ISSG)
References regarding Bufo marinus as an invasive species is provided from the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD). GISD was created and is maintained by IUCN's Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG).


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The Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk (HEAR) project was historically funded by the Pacific Basin Information Node (PBIN) of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) through PIERC (USGS) with support from HCSU (UH Hilo). More details are available online. Pacific Basin Information Node (PBIN) National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII)

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