Cane toads meet their nemesis?

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An Amazonian parasite and a pheromone may be the keys to slowing the rapid spread of cane toads in Australia, according to cane toad expert Professor Rick Shine from the University of Sydney.

Professor Shine's team, with support from the Australian Research Council, studied cane toads in Queensland that lagged behind the invasion front and found they were infected with a lungworm parasite that slows down adults and kills baby toads.

The parasite was originally thought to have come from Australian frogs, but DNA sequencing showed the species came from the Amazon and is genetically different to similar parasites found in Australian frogs, so it can be safely used for biological control of cane toads.

The researchers have also investigated 'alarm' pheromones released by cane toad tadpoles, which can be used to cause tadpole death or stunted growth in adults. Again, the pheromones do not affect Australian frogs.

According to another University of Sydney researcher, Dr Mike Letnic, the arrival of toads in the Victoria River District of the Northern Territory has caused a reduction of up to 75 per cent in freshwater crocodile numbers, And Professor Bart Currie at Darwin's Menzies School of Health Research says the newly discovered frog-eating 'secretive snake' is also in danger of being wiped out by the cane toad.

Professor Shine notes that his team found a 90 per cent mortality of large goannas and lizards at their study site.