How to identify and deal with cane toad eggs. Male cane toads attach themselves to the back of the female, sometimes for days, waiting for the amplexing (mating). This grip is difficult to break and allows the male to ‘hang’ on until the female releases her eggs. Mature females can lay up to 35,000 eggs twice a year and the eggs can survive in fresh and brackish water. The difference between eggs of frogs and toads is easy to distinguish. The cane toad eggs are laid in long strings of enclosing gelatinous transparent jelly, containing tiny pairs of black eggs which hang off rocks or vegetation around the edge of a waterhole. On the other hand, frogs generally lay 150 to 5000 eggs at a time depending on the species, in a single mass, small clumps, chains or individually in jelly or foam nests. The eggs can be laid in water, moist litter, and soil or under sand surface. The good thing about cane toad eggs is that they are laid in strings, so if you carefully grab those strings and reel them on land like a fishing line you can eliminate 35,000 potential native wildlife killers in 5 minutes. Throw the strands onto the bank away from the water. They will dry out quite quickly. Alternatively place into a bucket or plastic bag and freeze. They can be used in traps to attract cane toad tadpoles (see section tomorrow on tadpoles).
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 12:34:28 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015