Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. Brought in to address a problem, cane toads now represent ...

Invasive species are always disruptive to the native wildlife in the ecosystems they take over. However, their impact on humans and domesticated animals is usually more indirect. An exception is the ...

On the edge of a dark, suburban park in Brisbane, teams of volunteer toad-catchers gather around Gary King as he shoves another squirming specimen into a cooler box. “Who’s got some more?” asks King, ...

Cane toads were introduced to Australia in 1935 to control sugarcane beetles, but the toads ignore the beetles while decimating the ecosystem they were meant to protect. Instead, they became a highly ...

The Rhinella marina, commonly known as the cane toad, is one of the world’s most invasive amphibians. Native to parts of Central and South America, this large toad was introduced to countries such as ...

In 1935, native beetles were wreaking havoc on Australia’s sugar cane crops in Queensland. The beetle larvae lived in the soil and chewed on sugarcane roots, stunting growth or killing the plants.