They find in Australia a “monstrous” giant toad of 2.7 kilos

Sydney, Australia (EFE) animal has been “removed from nature.”

The amphibian, one of the most toxic species for other animals and considered a threat to Australian fauna, was found last week in Conway National Park, in the state of Queensland, when forest ranger Kylee Gray toured the premises and a snake forced him to stop the vehicle in which he was traveling.

“I bent down and grabbed the cane toad and couldn’t believe how big and heavy it was,” Gray was quoted as saying in a message posted on social media by the North East Queensland Department of Environment and Science.

The institution explained that some cane toads, which usually weigh about half a kilo, can measure 26 centimeters and weigh 2.5 kilos, and stated that a specimen like the one found “will eat anything that fits in its mouth.” , which “includes insects, reptiles, and small mammals.”

The animal, a female nicknamed ‘Toadzilla’, may be the largest cane toad yet recorded by the Queensland Museum, where the specimen, which was killed by park crews, will be transferred.

Scientifically known as ‘Rhinella marina’, the cane toad is native to Central and South America and was introduced to Australia in 1935, with the aim of combating a plague of beetles that was hitting the region’s sugar cane plantations.

However, the animal did not eat the insects and, without natural predators, multiplied uncontrollably, which is why it has had “a serious impact on the ecosystems of northern Australia” and is considered one of the biggest threats to the fauna of the country, according to the Department of the Environment.