‘Toadzilla’: Australian Rangers find 'monster' cane toad weighing 2.7kg

A giant cane toad, whose weightis equal to some newborn humans, was discovered in Australia’s Northern Queensland. Dubbed “Toadzilla” by the Australian Rangers who found it in the Conway National Park, the rough-skinned amphibian is said to be the largest of her species ever found.

Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science on Friday said that the toad, which is believed to be a female, weighs approximately 2.7 kg and is 1,289 feet (393 metres) in size.

They believe that it can be considered a new world record, considering that cane toads normally grow to around 15cm (5.9in) in size. The Guinness World Record for the largest toad in history is 2.65kg found in 1991.

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Ranger Kylee Gray, who first stumbled upon the creature, detailed her first encounter saying that her vehicle stopped immediately when confronted by the cane toad.

“I reached down and grabbed the cane toad and couldn’t believe how big and heavy it was,” Gray said in a statement.

“We dubbed it Toadzilla and quickly put it into a container so we could remove it from the wild,” she said.

The ranger told Australia’s ABC news that the toad looked “almost like a football with legs”. She added that the specimen grew massively because it may have fed on a diet of insects, reptiles and small mammals.

"A cane toad that size will eat anything it can fit into its mouth," she said.

Toads have no natural predators in Australia and the poisonous species have wrought havoc on native animal populations.

Nevertheless, as is the standard practice for pests in Australia, ‘Toadzilla’ was euthanised and will be donated to the Queensland Museum.

(With inputs from agencies)

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