Toads' Australian march quickens (BBC)

The march of the cane toad across Australia is likely to prove more relentless than previously believed, according to a new study.

Writing in the Royal Society's journal Proceedings B, scientists say the toads will double their current range, and spread along most of Australia's coast.

Cane toads were introduced from Hawaii about 70 years ago and are poisonous to some indigenous wildlife.

The new research suggests they are adapting to warmer conditions.

Currently, the toads occupy about 1.2 million sq km (460,000 sq miles) in the northeast of the country, but that is likely to increase to two million sq km (770,000 sq miles), colonising much of the eastern and western coasts as they spread south.


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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6499713.stm