As the rainy season continues in Southwest Florida, you may see an influx of cane toads in your backyard and surrounding areas. Cane toads are one of the largest species of toad in the world. Native to South America, the species was originally introduced to Florida in the 1930s-40s in an attempt to control agricultural pests in sugar cane fields and the pet trade contributed with releases and escapees during the 50s-60s.
Cane toads are not aggressive, but they have enlarged parotoid glands on their neck and shoulder region that produce a bufotoxin that, when ingested, is highly toxic. This toxin is capable of causing severe illness or death to potential predators. This trait poses a threat to our native wildlife and to any pets that attempt to attack them.
Prevention is the best way to avoid an unfortunate and possibly fatal interaction involving your pet. Always keep your dog on a leash when walking outside, especially on warm evenings and after rain, and make your yard less toad-friendly by removing any attractants such as pet food or debris piles where toads can hide.
It is also important to note that there are other toad species that are native to Southwest Florida. The native southern toad is the species most likely to be misidentified as the cane toad.
The large size is often the first noticeable feature of cane toads. However, cane toads are not always bigger than southern toads, so it is important to be familiar with features that help distinguish the species when they are both a similar size.
The best features to look for are the southern toad head crests! When southern toads are around an inch and a half in length they start to display small ridges or crests on their heads, between the eyes, while the area between cane toad’s eyes will always remain flat. It is almost impossible to distinguish the two species when they are at any other life stage (eggs, tadpoles) or smaller toad in size.
We have a cane toad exhibit at our Nature Center that is open to the public to learn more information about this invasive species and how to identify them. For more information on cane toads, please see here.