Scientists conduct toad racing 'experiment'
Since their introduction to Australia in the 1930s Cane toads have plagued residents and threatened to invade most of the country.
Now though scientists have some good news for Aussies.
After holding a series of 'toad sprint races' (maybe they weren't allowed to watch the Olympics) the experts say the toad could not survive in much of Australia because of cold weather.
They timed the cold-blooded creatures for a two metre sprint at a variety of different temperatures and found that as it cools down, so does the animals top speed.
"The cane toads cannot survive in much of Southern Australia because they would be too cold to move about and forage or spawn," said Dr Kearney from the Department of Zoology at the University of Melbourne.
They discovered that, at 30 degrees, the toads ran at speeds of 2.2 km/h, while at 15 degrees they could manage just 300 metres an hour.
"We found that cane toads can barely hop once they get below about 15 degrees Celsius”, added another researcher."
They found that a moderate global warming could allow toads to move 100 km further south than their present limit by 2050. This would make conditions in Sydney slightly better for toads, and the only other city at risk of toad invasion under this scenario would be Perth.
The work is published in this month’s Ecography journal.
LINKS
