Wild Daintree crocs snapped dining out on cane toads in breakthrough study
FNQ wildlife
Saltwater crocodiles are one of the few native Australian animals that eat cane toads in the wild and survive, a new study based on evidence from the Daintree region and other areas has confirmed.
Crocodile tour operator David White provided photographic evidence for the study of salties ranging from juveniles to fully grown crocs eating the noxious species, which was introduced to Australia from South America in the 1930s and has wreaked havoc ever since.
Mr White said this week he was proud to contribute to the research - set to appear in the Australian Zoologist journal - despite not being a scientist himself.
“These icons are now officially contributing members of society,” Mr White stated.
“Humans introduced cane toads and unleashed the chaos, but now the crocs are out there helping fix up our mistake.”
The size of the crocodile may be a factor in building up resistance, but a general immunity through “physiological resistance” due to “genetic modifications” was also observed, the paper found.
“Saltwater crocodiles kill and ingest cane toads without suffering major poisoning effects,” the paper states.
Scientists have known for at least 20 years that salties are resistant to cane-toad toxins, but this was the first study to show photographic evidence that they actively dine out on them in the wild.
“Interestingly, in at least some cases crocodiles appear to selectively consume parts of the toad other than the toxin-containing parotoid glands,” the paper reads.
Freshwater crocodiles, however, have been known to die after eating a cane toad.
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