Banjo frogs mistaken for cane toads are being killed

Australia’s ugliest frogs are being mistaken for the world’s ugliest toad, pushing some close to extinction. Native Australian frogs are being killed because people mistakenly think they are cane toads which have made their way over the border from Queensland.

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Australia’s ugliest frogs are being mistaken for the world’s ugliest toad, pushing some close to extinction.

With the cane toad continuing its unstoppable march across the border from Queensland, Australian native frogs such as the eastern Banjo frog or the endangered giant burrowing frog are being dispatched by concerned members of the public in a heartbreaking case of mistaken identity.

Only 10 per cent of all NSW cane toad sightings are actually the poisonous pest.

Australian Museum amphibian biologist Dr Jodi Rowley said while it is vital people help protect the ecosystem, it is equally important they do not take action without positive identification.

People are mistaking Banjo frogs (right) with cane toads and are killing them. Picture: Tim Hunter

“Do not try and dispose of anything that you think is a cane toad because in all likelihood it is probably just a native frog that resembles a toad,” she said.

“In the past year there have been probably two dozen cases of mistaken identity.

“It can be tricky to identify a cane toad. But I would estimate that 90 per cent of the time cane toad sightings turn out to be native frogs.”

Asked whether cane toad lookalikes are accidentally given the death penalty by concerned citizens, Dr Rowley said: “It’s very likely.”

Although there are no cane toad colonies in Sydney, specialists from Taronga Zoo agreed it is common for large native frog species to be mistaken for them.

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While the exact number of cane toads in NSW is unknown, their range has vastly expanded through the country’s north and they are moving westward at an estimated pace of 40km to 60km per year, according to the Department of Industry.

The toads were introduced to Australia from the Americas in 1935 in a bid to control the grey-backed cane beetle.

Australian Museum’s herpetologist research assistants, Kathy Potter with a cane toad and Jordan Crawford-Ash with a Banjo frog. Picture: Tim Hunter

But because they are poisonous to eat, they are often fatal to native animals that try to prey on them. They also out-compete native frogs and insect-eating species such as skinks.

Through the Australian Museum, Dr Rowley has created the FrogID project, a platform for the public to record frog sounds so that scientists can analyse their location, breeding patterns and habitats.

This allows experts to monitor population rates and detect intruders such as the cane toad or black spine frog from South East Asia.

The FrogID app has been downloaded almost 100,000 times and has provided a valuable amount of data.

“We’re getting an understanding of how frogs are responding to things such as extreme weather — for example, the Townsville flood, which was terrible for people but actually really fantastic for the frogs,” Dr Rowley said.