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Originally thought to be the savior of sugarcane, but unexpectedly it was a "big scourge", alien species invaded, and Australia's ecological environment was seriously damaged.
Located in the southern hemisphere, Australia is surrounded by the sea and has a vast territory and rich ecological resources. This land is home to a rich variety of organisms and is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world.
The cute koala and the "muscular" kangaroo are Australia's "living business cards".
However, there is such an alien species that has subverted the Australian biosphere, causing Australia's crocodile and python species to disappear by 70%, and for a while it has become a bad species that dominates Australia. What exactly is it? And how did you come to the Australian mainland?
The story dates back to the early 20th century. At that time, cane sugar was a hot commodity.
Thanks to Australia's unique natural and geographical conditions, it has become a major sugar producer in the world. However, due to the botanical characteristics of sugar cane itself, pests and diseases also follow.
For a time, a large area of sugarcane fell under the attack of pests and diseases, and the production of sugarcane plummeted.
In order to protect these "cash cows", the local people racked their brains.
They needed a "cure" method that didn't harm the sugar cane itself, but at the same time it was a "cure" that they needed, and the sea toad was the "remedy" they needed at the time.
Some British traders brought more than 100 sea toads to Australia by sea. These sea toads on "missions" are called sugar cane toads.
With captivity and natural breeding, the number of these sea toads surged to more than 60,000 in a short period of time.
Local sugar cane owners in Australia have come to take these "saviors", but they do not know that what they bring back is one "bomb" after another.
It didn't take long for the owners of the manor to discover that the sugarcane toad could not eliminate the main scourge in the sugarcane field, the gray-backed beetle.
Not only that, the reproduction rate of sea toads is far beyond people's imagination. They are breeding all year round, and female sea toads can lay up to 30,000 eggs at a time!
Instead of eliminating pests, sea toads have become another headache.
Australia's native organisms can be said to be defenseless to this alien species, and the toad's toxins are unstoppable. In addition, the "foodie" of the sea toad is "all the orders" for everything that can be entered, insects and birds are just its appetizers, and pythons and crocodiles that are several times larger than it are not immune to its toxin attack.
This "big stomach king" has had a disastrous impact on the Australian biosphere.
Moreover, due to the imbalance between male and female, a large number of male sea toads will start a courtship struggle, and male sea toads that lose in the struggle will go to pythons or crocodiles to hold eggs.
According to statistics, since the 30s of the 20th century, when sea toads set foot on the Australian continent, their number has increased sharply from more than 100 to hundreds of millions.
Not only crocodiles and pythons, but even birds, have suffered a sharp decline in species, and even pets have been killed, which is undoubtedly a catastrophic damage to Australia's biodiversity.
Why is this new Australian overlord so powerful?
In fact, sea toads are not small animals that people recognize, but large people who can reach 30 centimeters in length and weigh up to several pounds.
Its venom is almost all over the body, and the paraauricular glands, the skin on the back, and other glands are full of toxins.
Moreover, the sea toad starts from the fertilized egg until it grows into an adult, and the poisonous state is throughout the life cycle.
As can be seen from their reproduction rate, sea toads are almost unaffected by their natural and geographical environment, and they can survive in temperatures as low as 4 degrees and can also be active in temperatures as low as 42 degrees.
They can swim in water or crawl on land; They can thrive in the original Central and South America, or they can dominate Australia, and they are extremely adaptable and survivable.
In addition, their breeding conditions are extremely simple, only need water, whether fresh water or seawater, to lay eggs and reproduce. The sea toad's own conditions can be said to be quite "excellent".
In the face of this thorny big trouble, Australians are not without thinking about the future trouble, but the number of sea toads is too large, resulting in the actual feasibility of eliminating sea toads is extremely small.
Even with the support and encouragement of the government, even if the population and even the army participate in the killing, the results are disappointing.
Even if local species have found the life of sea toads in evolution, edible non-toxic abdomen and internal organs, they are far from preying faster than sea toads reproduce.
Until now, the sea toad is Australia's number one foreign poison.