Jayna Devore News Today

Australian cane toads evolve rapidly, with tadpoles turning cannibalistic and hatchlings speeding up development in response.

The black-and-white motion-triggered video looks like an outtake from a cheap horror movie: A handful of rats circle a smooth, platter-sized mound of sand. Suddenly a sea turtle hatchling appears, digging out of the nest. A rat grabs it by its head and quickly drags it off-camera. A second hatchling is snatched by another rat, […]

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Cannibalistic toads reveal ‘evolution in fast motion,’ study finds

The toxin that makes cane toads so poisonous is causing them to eat their young, but only in Australia, where they became an out-of-control pest.

Since their introduction to Australia in 1935, cane toads (Rhinella marina) have been rapidly devouring their way across the northern part of the continent. Their feasting bonanza, unchecked by predators or parasites evolved to deal with their toxi