В порту Каймановых островов предотвращена угроза экосистемы: обнаружена ядовитая жаба

Cane toad find was not an isolated incident (CNS): Department of Agriculture staff recently averted a serious biosecurity risk at the port when they intercepted a cane toad, a toxic invasive species that can become a huge threat to the habitats it invades. However, this was not an isolated incident, CNS has learned. Cane toads were once found living here, but they have not been spotted since Hurricane Ivan in 2004, though they have been discovered in shipments on isolated occasions, illustrating the massive risk that some imports pose to the Cayman Islands’ biodiversity. On this occasion, the toad was discovered during an inspection of a container full of plants that had originated in the United States, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Cane toads were first recorded in Grand Cayman in 1999 and persisted for some years. Since then, officials have responded to isolated reports of cane toad incursions, which is why they were initially flagged at the Horizon Scanning Workshop held in the Cayman Islands in 2018 and again at the workshop held in June of this year, the Department of Environment has confirmed. The DoA said the toad found recently was detected by the “trained eye of one of our Biosecurity Officers during inspection of the consignment”. The department stressed the importance of this work, noting how easily these very invasive and dangerous amphibians can breach Cayman’s biosecurity lines of defence. The Cane Toad (Bufo marinus) has caused great ecological damage both here in Cayman and in many countries around the world. It is particularly problematic because they are both prolific breeders and voracious predators, tending to swallow their prey whole. They will eat small rodents, reptiles, other amphibians, birds, plants, a wide range of invertebrates, and even dog food and household refuse. They are also a threat to animals that eat them, as they are equipped with large poison sacs on either side of their heads — a physical feature which identifies them apart from local frogs and toads. The poison is highly toxic, with the potential to harm larger predators, even crocodiles. It is exuded from a gland behind their ears when they are stressed and causes severe pain and possibly permanent damage to other creatures’ eyes, including humans’. For more information on invasive species and the problems they pose, visit the DoE website. - Fascinated - Happy - Sad - Angry - Bored - Afraid Category: Land Habitat, Science & Nature