Australian rangers have killed a giant invasive frog found in a coastal park, a brown species as long as a human arm and weighing 2.7 kilograms.
The amphibian, also known as the cane toad, was spotted when a snake forced park staff to stop while they were driving through Queensland’s Conway National Park, the state government said.
“I reached down and grabbed the cane toad. I almost couldn’t believe how big and heavy it was,” said park ranger Kylee Gray, recounting how she found the amphibian last week.
“A cane toad this size will eat anything it can fit in its mouth, including insects, reptiles and small mammals,” he explained.
The animal was removed and then killed.
Cane toads were brought to Queensland in 1935 to help fight a beetle infestation. However, it has had devastating consequences for other species.
The giant toad, weighing 2.7kg, almost the weight of a newborn baby, could break the record for the heaviest specimen ever found, the Queensland Department of Environment and Science said in a statement.
The institution described him as a “monster” and figured his stuffed body could be taken to the Queensland Museum.
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