Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/AUSTRALIA: A cane toad that was so gigantic that wildlife inspectors believed it to be a fake was discovered in a rainforest in north Australia.
Giant specimen
The giant specimen weighs 2.7kg and is six times bigger than the average toad. It might set a new world record. The creature, dubbed “Toadzilla,” was swiftly captured and taken from its natural habitat.
Since being imported to Australia in 1935, toads have become one of the most destructive pests, with an estimated 2 billion of them living there now. While on patrol in Queensland, park ranger Kylee Gray first came upon the enormous amphibian and couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
She reportedly told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, “I’ve never seen something so large. It resembled a football with legs in nearly every way. Its name was Toadzilla.”
Her squad swiftly apprehended Toadzilla, who they thought was a female, and went back to base to weigh her. Although they anticipated she would be heavy, they were shocked to learn she could break a world record.
A pet toad named Prinsen from Sweden set the current Guinness World Record for a giant toad in 1991 with a weight of 2.65 kilograms.
According to Gray, this enormous animal probably gained weight by eating tiny mammals, reptiles, and insects. She asserted that a cane toad that size would consume everything that would fit in its mouth. In Australia, toads lack natural predators, and the toxic species has decimated native animal populations.
Toadzilla’s age is unknown to Gray, who thinks she has “been around a long time” even though the species can live up to 15 years in the wild. Since then, Toadzilla has been put to death, as is customary in Australia for pests, and will be given to the Queensland Museum.
