A cane toad which holds the present world record as the biggest toad ‘Toadzilla “has been been found in a north Australian rainforest.
The “monster” specimen is six times bigger than the average toad, weighs 2.7kg, and could break a world record.
According to park ranger Kylee Gray, she first spotted the massive amphibian while out on patrol in Queensland, she couldn’t believe her eyes.
“I’ve never seen anything so big,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“[It looked] almost like a football with legs. We dubbed it Toadzilla.”
The current Guinness World Record for the largest toad – 2.65kg – was set by a pet toad in Sweden named Prinsen in 1991.
Ms Gray says this giant specimen likely bulked out on a diet of insects, reptiles and small mammals.
“A cane toad that size will eat anything it can fit into its mouth,” she said.
Ms Gray isn’t sure how old Toadzilla was – the species can live up to 15 years in the wild – but believes she has “been around a long time”.
Toadzilla has since been euthanised, as is standard practice in Australia for the pests, and will be donated to the Queensland Museum.
