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Australia: Biological Weapons To Control Cane Toad Invasion
sciencedaily.com — New research on cane toads in Northern Australia has discovered a way to control the cane toad invasion using parasites and toad communication signals. Professor Rick Shine from the University of Sydney has been studying the biology of cane toads, and will reveal his new research May 7 at the Academy of Science's peak annual event...
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- funzo, on 05/10/2008, -1/+5of mass destruction?
- had3l, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2Wait, wasn't it Bart Simpson that spread the toads in Australia? See, it's always America's fault.
- truspect0r, on 05/10/2008, -8/+3They should control rapists too.
- Harbinger67, on 05/10/2008, -2/+3And the proles.
- douce2, on 05/10/2008, -2/+8God used science to control the 10 plagues!
- DestroyFascism, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1He did did he?
- CiXeL, on 05/10/2008, -11/+2i dont see what australians' problem is with cane toads. we have them in south florida and they are so cool!
we saw some baby cane toad tadpoles last weekend and they are so cute. i have no idea why they would want to try to kill them.- Bodhinature, on 05/10/2008, -0/+10Cane Toads are non-native invasive species that spread disease to the local native fauna. Cane Toads are native to the Americas, so in Florida they're cute. In Australia they are deadly, prolific, skin breathing rats that are destroying the environment.
- CiXeL, on 05/10/2008, -1/+1theyre not native to florida, theyre native to south and central america.
they were brought here to control sugar cane pests just the same.- briantodd, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3As stated above "Cane Toads are native to the AmericaS".
- WilliamDavis, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2I love how these people screw one thing up after another, and then continue on like they've suddenly become smarter. They actually seem to be getting dumber. If they were getting smarter, they'd stop it already.
- CiXeL, on 05/10/2008, -1/+1theyre not native to florida, theyre native to south and central america.
- jaytea90, on 05/10/2008, -0/+10Cane toads are endangering the native Australian flora and fauna whilst taking up habitat space. That's our problem and that's why we want to kill them.
- CiXeL, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1we have your australian pines and melaleuca trees down here as well. introduced from australia but i still think theyre great despite people thinking theyre 'terrible' invasives. is it better to have a forest of australian pine or a field of grass? learn to live with your invasives, for every 5 people trying to stop them there are 5 million toads working against you. the animals will learn to eat them eventually. there are so many deadly animals competing in australia that they will learn the tricks to eating cane toad soon enough.
- blast_flame, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2You sound like the average PETA member...
- CiXeL, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1i hate peta but i do like wildlife.
- Enasni1212, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3My biology prof showed the class a clip from a documentary about invasive species. It showed some guy swerving his car to hit cane toads. According to him, they make a satisfying popping sound.
- ghm101, on 05/10/2008, -0/+4correct,
I know a guy who was pulled over by the cops for swerving all over both sides of the road, when he explained it was to pop the cane toads, the cop let him off but told him to stick to swerving around on his own side of the road in future. - srg13, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1I saw that documentary too! That was hilarious... There were also parts with people keeping them as pets (and children playing and dressing them up) which was disgusting...
- ghm101, on 05/10/2008, -0/+4correct,
- Swivelstick, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2Same problem eucalyptus are to the Everglades see the parallel?
- CiXeL, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1melaleuca. theyre not as pretty as the australian pines. eucalpytus are more pests of southern california but they like them because trees are nice.
- wheelymel, on 05/11/2008, -0/+2Mate! Did you read the article. They're destroying our wildlife. There will be nothing left if they are left to take over. They were introduced to Queensland and now they've managed to spread to NSW and across to the Northern Territory and into heritage National Rainforests. They have to be killed before they kill everything else!
- Bodhinature, on 05/10/2008, -0/+10Cane Toads are non-native invasive species that spread disease to the local native fauna. Cane Toads are native to the Americas, so in Florida they're cute. In Australia they are deadly, prolific, skin breathing rats that are destroying the environment.
- Pinkertinkle, on 05/10/2008, -3/+10Didn't they bring cane toads over to control cane beetles? Now they're going to bring over a cane toad parasites to control cane toads? I don't know how but I'm pretty sure these cane toad parasites will run amok and screw Australia over some more.
- shtonkalot, on 05/10/2008, -1/+3That's exactly what I was thinking, next thing you know the parasites will breed up and start using koalas for hosts eating their brains from the inside and making liquid goo pour out of their eye sockets.
There goes our Japanese tourist income.- Risingashes, on 05/10/2008, -0/+7But think of the tourism we'll pull in with our parasite theme parks.
- notoneofus, on 05/10/2008, -1/+2So, it will be the opposite of China? Instead of agreeing to send its pandas as a form of diplomacy, Australia will agree to not send its parasites for the same reason.
- Risingashes, on 05/10/2008, -0/+7But think of the tourism we'll pull in with our parasite theme parks.
- laconix, on 05/10/2008, -1/+8RTFA, the toads themselves brought over the parasite. We are just going to 'help' the parasite.
Sort of like how you 'help'ed the Indian with those blankets..- JointVenture, on 05/10/2008, -1/+2Oh stfu, you want to talk about the treatment the Aborigines got?
Remember when you lot would kidnap the kids and take them to re-education schools trying to turn them white?- pyrotix, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3You got the wrong guy
- SharkyTech, on 05/11/2008, -0/+2Yeah, and then we elected a guy who then proceeded to refuse to apoligise for it in 11 years of government. And now they're out of government, the party's leader made a speech on the national sorry day saying that it was good intentions and that it wasn't all bad. Seriously, what an *****.
Oh, and also, @laconix, it's not like that at all, the european settlers brought smallpox. Technically, this situation is more like if the Indians were immune to small-pox and used small-pox covered blankets on the europeans.
- JointVenture, on 05/10/2008, -1/+2Oh stfu, you want to talk about the treatment the Aborigines got?
- monoa, on 05/11/2008, -0/+2Well, that's a possibility, but I'm happy with the scientific method: a relentless search for the truth. Introducing the toads was dumb (to the power of 42), but that doesn't negate setting some bad ass parasites on their warty asses.
- srg13, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1"Didn't they bring cane toads over to control cane beetles?"
Yeah, but the cane toads liked our wildlife better...
- shtonkalot, on 05/10/2008, -1/+3That's exactly what I was thinking, next thing you know the parasites will breed up and start using koalas for hosts eating their brains from the inside and making liquid goo pour out of their eye sockets.
- FyUoCuK, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3Previous methods for controlling cane toad numbers have included traps and fences but have mainly involved physically removing them from the environment, often by putting them in a plastic bag in the freezer.
Thanks for the tip.- webcrumb, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2A piece of film from a documentary always comes to mind when I'm reminded of cane toads.
A bloke driving a VW camper along a road, swerving from side to side in order to run over as many toads as possible. He commented on the fact that if you hit them head-on they go pop as the air trapped inside gets compressed and the toad pops open. - DestroyFascism, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1I'm fairly certain a shovel will suffice...
- webcrumb, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2A piece of film from a documentary always comes to mind when I'm reminded of cane toads.
- DeadManWalking, on 05/10/2008, -0/+12We need a whacking day
- Shadowgamers, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2I'd rather have a repeat of the 1993 plague of South Australia. At least it sounds much cooler when you read it.
- Monolith4, on 05/10/2008, -9/+2Wow. First Joseph Fritzl, now this. Australia is weird!
- Shadowgamers, on 05/10/2008, -1/+5Austria. Not Australia :[
- JakeyG14, on 05/10/2008, -1/+2They're both the same, what's a continent or two between us diggers..?
- Shadowgamers, on 05/10/2008, -1/+1It's only a pond.
A deep, large pond.
A very deep, very large pond.
A swimming pool.
- Shadowgamers, on 05/10/2008, -1/+1It's only a pond.
- JakeyG14, on 05/10/2008, -1/+2They're both the same, what's a continent or two between us diggers..?
- trg100, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1Dude, I seriously hope you're being scarcastic! if you are, your mock ignorance is mildly amusing but otherwise, God help us!
- Shadowgamers, on 05/10/2008, -1/+5Austria. Not Australia :[
- CriticalImpacta, on 05/10/2008, -1/+2Say hello to Zombie Cane Toads :P
- Bodhinature, on 05/10/2008, -1/+14Considering the history of pest control in Australia, I'm waiting with baited breath for this one to go horribly, horribly wrong.
- celotil, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3We need more "backyard golfers", people who like to go out into the backyard, scream "Fore!", and whack a toad with a broom. :)
- jftitan, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1check out poppers run.
- Leigh56, on 05/10/2008, -4/+5Will the cane toads be raped in a basement?
- TubzyX, on 05/10/2008, -1/+10that was austria. you fail so hard.
- webcrumb, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1What's an al between friends?
--edit
Just re-read that. I'm leaving it though.
- webcrumb, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1What's an al between friends?
- SharkyTech, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1.....Are you ***** serious? But it does remind me of that Tripod song, where they put on an American accent and sing "I'm glad to see you Austrians speak such good English".
- TubzyX, on 05/10/2008, -1/+10that was austria. you fail so hard.
- Zoplax, on 05/10/2008, -2/+3Aren't these the same toads which produce a hallucinogenic venom? If so then maybe some entrepreneur in the black market could just go around loading up on cane toads, then take them back to his crib into the basement, where a whole slew of migrant or indentured workers could spend all day harvesting the venom and purifying it into sellable drug? Or just make his basement a huge life-size terrarium and whenever he wants to see pink elephants he goes and grabs a toad to milk.
- laconix, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2I like turtles.
- Enasni1212, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2Cane toads secrete bufotenin, which is a mild poison and a fairly strong hallucinogen... but they also produce several neurotoxins, which will kill you. Bufotenin is a Class 1 drug in Australia, but toad licking is probably not the best way to get your high.
This 60 second research brought to you by Wikipedia. - MaxD, on 05/11/2008, -0/+2I watched a docco at uni (stupid token required Arts subjects) that showed a hippie couple talking about licking cane toads (or smoking them, or snorting them - whatever, I can't really remember). They said that the effect was impressive; their exact words were: "it was like seeing the world through the eyes of a cactus"...
- robthom, on 05/10/2008, -4/+2Lets invade australia, first olivia newton john and now this. They just hate our freedom.
- JohnnyHotballs, on 05/10/2008, -0/+5hopefully this problem will be licked soon.
- DestroyFascism, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1lol I dare you
- laconix, on 05/10/2008, -1/+3"often by putting them in a plastic bag in the freezer"
So we moved from plastic bags to biological warfare...
I like it. - JoshChan, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1I hope this will not be another biological disaster..
- QsheiK, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1Anyone else think of the last episode of Dinosaurs (TV Series) when they read this?
- Haecceity, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1I had to laugh at the cane toad photograph that had an "enlarge" caption on it. These things are already big enough...
- jpl7986, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2why not nuke the toads?
- cquinnd, on 05/11/2008, -0/+2Giant radioactive Toads roaming the landscape, swallowing cars whole... that's why not.
- trademaak, on 05/10/2008, -0/+0Lawd! Is dat' sum battletoads???
- KingGorilla, on 05/10/2008, -0/+4Personally I blame Bart Simpson and cane toad? that's a silly name. I would have called them chizzawuzzas
- DestroyFascism, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1Bring him back so we can stick our boot into his arse
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