Latest news with #Americanbullfrog
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Wildlife officials issue warning about toxic toads spreading across US region — here's what you need to know
Wildlife officials issue warning about toxic toads spreading across US region — here's what you need to know 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 toxic cane toad plaguing Florida, the News-Press reported. What's happening? The cane toad, also called the bufo toad, marine toad, or giant toad, was introduced to Florida in the 1930s and '40s as a means to control pests in sugarcane crops. That was a shortsighted decision, because the toads spread far from the sugarcane fields and all across the landscape of Central and South Florida. At six to nine inches, these brown, warty toads are larger than the native toad species, which are generally under four inches in length. The native species that looks most similar to the cane toad is the southern toad, but the southern toad has raised crests on its head, while the cane toad doesn't, and the southern toad has oval glands over its shoulders, while the cane toad's glands are triangular. Cane toads are nocturnal and most often spotted at night. Why are cane toads in Florida important? The cane toad exhibits the usual traits of an invasive species. It breeds prolifically throughout the year, eating a wide range of native animals, including reptiles, small mammals, and even frogs. As a result, it threatens to outcompete the native toad species due to its superior size and strength. This has the usual damaging effect on the area's food chain and biodiversity, which can be detrimental to human livelihoods and make natural areas less beautiful and enjoyable On top of that, the cane toad poses an additional threat: The gland behind its eyes produces a milky white substance called bufotoxin, which is toxic to both humans and pets. Animals that eat, bite, or even lick living or dead cane toads can become sick and die in as little as 15 minutes. The toads' eggs also contain bufotoxin. What can I do about invasive cane toads? Unlike the American bullfrog and other species that officials encourage the public to catch and eat, cane toads must be treated with caution. First, prevent them from entering your yard with no-gap fencing, and remove hiding places like brush piles. Trim grass short and cut the bottom branches of hedges to leave a gap above the ground. Also, remove items that may attract toads, like outdoor water dishes. Do you worry about having toxic forever chemicals in your home? Majorly Sometimes Not really I don't know enough about them Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Next, supervise your pet outdoors at night, when most encounters occur. Finally, watch your pet for signs of bufotoxin exposure, including frantic behavior, disorientation, foaming at the mouth, brick red gums, and seizures. If you spot these signs, wash your pet's mouth out with a hose — aiming the water forward, not back toward the throat — before wiping the tongue and gums to get rid of the excess toxin. Then get them to a vet immediately. If you spot this invasive species in your yard, you'll need rubber, latex, or nitrile gloves to handle it, and benzocaine or lidocaine ointment or spray to humanely euthanize it, as required by Florida law. You can also call in a professional to get the job done. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the the daily Crossword
IOL News
07-07-2025
- Science
- IOL News
Lovebugs swarm South Korea's cities and hiking trails
A portion of Incheon is seen behind a cloud of lovebugs. Image: Jintak Han/The Washington Post Lovebugs - so named for how the male and female cling together as they mate in flight - are swarming South Korea. They can be seen in the hilltops that dot South Korea's bustling cities. They're on the windows of high-rise office buildings. They're on sidewalks, inside convenience stores, on hiking trails and all over city streetlights. They're everywhere. The bugs are harmless, but they are becoming increasingly annoying to the country's more than 50 million residents. 'I thought it was the apocalypse,' said Kim Jaewoong, a 36-year-old welder who ran into a swarm of these bugs last week on Gyeyangsan, a small mountain in the port city of Incheon, an hour drive west of Seoul. Mating lovebugs cover the side of a rock. Image: Jintak Han/The Washington Post Kim was jogging up the mountain on his usual weekend exercise route on Saturday and noticed clumps of dead and live plecia longiforceps, better known as lovebugs. the dark, winged insects typically measure just under half an inch. There were many of them, but Kim shrugged them off, thinking he would see fewer on the mountaintop. At the summit, dead lovebugs were piled up in mounds up to 4 inches tall, he said. Adult lovebugs have a lifespan of three to seven days, according to South Korea's Ministry of Environment. 'It became difficult to breathe. If you tried to breathe, you would get them in your nose and mouth,' he said. The insects are not native to South Korea. The first photographic evidence of the lovebugs in South Korea is from 2015 in Incheon, according to Shin Seunggwan, an associate professor at Seoul National University's School of Biological Sciences. Shin suspects they could be from China's Shandong Peninsula, home to lovebugs whose genetics are the most similar to those in South Korea. 'We haven't confirmed they're from there,' Shin said. 'But it's the likeliest place of origin,' he added. A municipal worker at the Gyeyangsan peak sprays water to clean dead lovebugs off of the stairs. Image: Jintak Han/The Washington Post The lovebugs are expected to abound in South Korea for the next several years, possibly a decade or more, according to Shin. Adult lovebugs have no natural predators and have high breeding rates, he said. Animals that could feed on the insects need time to learn they are edible. It took at least a decade for native animals to recognize other nonindigenous species in Korea like the American bullfrog and Spotted Lanternfly as prey, he said. It took 30 years for adult lovebugs in Florida to become prey, he added. Climate change could be a factor in their proliferation, Shin said. South Korea's temperatures have risen by 1.4 degrees Celsius, or 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit, in the last 30 years compared to the 1912-1941 period, according to government tallies. But the more direct cause for the explosion of the lovebug population here, Shin said, is likelier to be the urban heat island effect - a term used to describe how cities are hotter than rural areas due to the abundance of concrete and the lack of natural shade. Higher temperatures in urban areas - where lovebugs tend to be found - allow more of the insects and their larvae to survive the winter, he said. Gyeyangsan, while covered with trees, is in the urban Incheon area. At the bottom of Gyeyangsan on Thursday, store owners were busy trying to keep out the pesky insects, warning patrons to close the door quickly to prevent more of the insects from entering the establishment. But they were already getting settled - resting on the floor, the freezer windows and the lights.
