cane toad

noun

: a large, brownish, poisonous toad (Rhinella marina synonym Bufo marinus) native to Central and South America, Mexico, and extreme southern Texas and introduced into other tropical and subtropical areas (such as Australia) where it has become an invasive species

Cane toads are seen as a major threat to biodiversity, not only because they voraciously out-compete some native species for food and consume others, but also because their skin toxins are thought to kill carnivorous predators which mistake them for local amphibians.

—Sheila Lunter

called also giant toad, marine toad

Examples of cane toad in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And with female cane toads capable of laying up to 30,000 eggs at a time, their numbers multiplied at an almost unstoppable pace. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Before 1935, no Australian had encountered a cane toad in their backyard. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Thus far, more than 1 million cane toad tadpoles have been removed from Australian waterways. —Discover Magazine, 14 Oct. 2024

The problem is that cane toad toxins take longer to degrade. —Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

cane toad

noun

: a large, brownish toad (Rhinella marina synonym Bufo marinus) that secretes a toxin poisonous especially to small animals and that is native to Central and South America, Mexico, and southernmost Texas but has become an invasive species in other warm regions (as Florida and Australia) where it was formerly introduced for insect control