AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION 15 December 04 NT frog 'eats' cane toad (Emma Gumbleton)

Researchers in the Northern Territory believe they may have found the first natural predator of the cane toad.

FrogWatch NT says early tests run in captivity have found the frog species litoria dahlii can eat tadpoles and infant cane toads without any apparent side effects from the venom.

The group says a frog predator in the Northern Territory could explain why cane toad numbers have been limited in some areas.

It says the dahliis populate black soil plain country in large numbers and do not live in other areas populated by the toad, like Queensland.

However, coordinator Graeme Sawyer says no proof that the frog is a toad predator has been found in the wild.

He says the group will know for sure what effect the frogs when toads arrive in the outskirts of Darwin during the wet season.

"We still don't know for sure whether they do it in the wild but I'm pretty sure they do," Mr Sawyer said.

"We know dahlii's a frog predator and so cane toads appear to be pretty easy prey for them as the tadpoles are very slow and the small cane toads are pretty slow as well.

"I'm just surprised they can eat them and not die."

Mystery solved?

Mr Sawyer says the discovery could explain a phenomenon that frog-watchers previously had not taken much notice of.

"We anticipated that at Mount Ringwood station, where we've been doing a lot of this work this year, the cane toads would have got there 18 months ago," he said.

"They didn't and we've got no idea why but it could be because those flood plains have got a lot of dahliis on it."

Two cane toads have been found in Darwin's outer regions in the last fortnight, firming the prediction the toads will arrive in force this wet season.

Mr Sawyer is confident toad numbers can be controlled through traps, toad musters and egg and tadpole removal.

He says Darwin's weather could play a big factor because the toads become vulnerable in the dry season.

"Our big strategy is to knock the toad population right down during the dry season because when toads move into an area it seems to take between five and seven years for their numbers to build up," he said.

"What we believe [is] if we can keep knocking them back every dry season the numbers will never build up."

'Muck in'

Experts are confident the pest will never settle in Darwin like it has in Queensland.

Mr Sawyer says if everyone mucks in, cane toads will not become a common sight in the city.

"[We're] going to see what happens when they hit this country out here in Humpty Doo," he said.

"They're going to be more difficult to maintain. There's lots of natural waterways and stuff out here as well.

"I really think we can probably keep Darwin, Palmerston and parts of the rural area to almost toad-free status.

"There'll probably be the odd one around but they should never get into those areas and build up into huge numbers."

Mr Sawyer says collection depots should be set up in Darwin and Palmerston to encourage people to join the toad fight.

He says it is a chance for council and government to implement their toad management strategies.

"It's obviously an issue for people who don't want to kill toads, people who don't want to put toads in their freezer, to have a collection depot where they can just drop the live toads off," he said.

"[Then] whatever happens to them is not their problem.

"I'm hopeful of getting the Government and the council to combine to set up these collection points because if they don't, the councils face getting a lot of dead toad bodies at their rubbish tips."
NT frog 'eats' cane toad

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