The large, warty nocturnal amphibian that became an invasive species in Australia is the cane toad.
Cane toads (Rhinella marina) are native to South and Central America. They were introduced to Queensland in 1935 after 102 toads were brought from Hawaii, where the species had been used to control sugar-cane pests. By 1937, about 62,000 young toads had been released across northern Queensland.
The plan failed because cane toads were poor at reaching the beetles they were meant to control, while their toxins proved highly dangerous to native Australian predators. Toads produce potent bufotoxins from large glands behind their eyes, and animals that bite or swallow them can die. Their rapid spread has harmed snakes, monitor lizards, quolls and crocodiles.
A common mix-up is treating “toad” and “frog” as interchangeable. Cane toads are true toads, with dry, heavily textured skin and prominent parotoid glands. They are also mostly active at night, when they hunt insects and other prey.