NORTHERN TERRITORY NEWS (Darwin, Australia) 13 June 08 Toad solution: Scare them to death! (Matt Cunningham)
Scientists may have found the key to managing cane toads: scaring them to death. Professor Rob Capon is heading a group of scientists who believe they may be close to identifying an "alarm chemical'' in toad tadpoles that could be used to control the toxic pest.
He said when a tadpole was squished up and thrown into water it released a chemical that frightened the other tadpoles.
"It appears that the tadpole can detect the demise of one of its kin,'' he said.
"The tadpoles freak out and run away and hide because they are scared.''
Professor Capon said the frightened tadpoles then morphed into toads prematurely, resulting in weaker, underweight toadlets.
"They are just weedy ... like a premature baby,'' he said.
"They need a lot of care an attention and they aren't going to get it.''
Professor Capon and his team from the Institute of Molecular Bioscience at the University of Queensland, spent two years researching the chemical ecology of the Australian cane toad.
The team, working with Professor Rick Shine form the University of Sydney, believe they are close to finding the active molecule in the "squished up tadpole''.
Professor Capon said if the molecule could be identified it could be used in a product to control the toad.
"You could flick it into water and scare the daylights out of tadpoles, that would then (turn into) weaker, or even dead, toads,'' he said.
He said the molecule was toad specific -- it would have no affect on native frogs.
Professor Capon presented the team's findings at the Australian Vertebrate Pest Conference at SkyCity in Darwin. It ends today.
Toad solution: Scare them to death!