Australia's 'Toadzilla': Record-breaking cane toad found in Queensland

A cane toad truthful elephantine wildlife officers thought it was fake has been recovered successful a northbound Australian rainforest.

The "monster" specimen is six times bigger than the mean toad, weighs 2.7kg, and could interruption a satellite record.

Dubbed "Toadzilla", the carnal was rapidly placed successful a instrumentality and removed from the wild.

Toads - which were archetypal introduced to Australia successful 1935 - are 1 of the country's astir damaging pests and are present estimated to fig implicit 2 billion.

When parkland ranger Kylee Gray archetypal spotted the monolithic amphibian portion retired connected patrol successful Queensland, she couldn't judge her eyes.

"I've ne'er seen thing truthful big," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"[It looked] astir similar a shot with legs. We dubbed it Toadzilla."

Her squad rapidly captured Toadzilla - believed to beryllium a pistillate - and returned to basal to measurement her. They knew she would beryllium heavy, but were amazed to find she could acceptable a caller satellite record.

The existent Guinness World Record for the largest toad - 2.65kg - was acceptable by a favored toad successful Sweden named Prinsen successful 1991.

Ms Gray says this elephantine specimen apt bulked retired connected a fare of insects, reptiles and tiny mammals.

"A cane toad that size volition devour thing it tin acceptable into its mouth," she said.

Toads person nary earthy predators successful Australia and the poisonous taxon person wrought havoc connected autochthonal carnal populations.

Ms Gray isn't definite however aged Toadzilla was - the taxon tin unrecorded up to 15 years successful the chaotic - but believes she has "been astir a agelong time".

Toadzilla has since been euthanised and volition beryllium donated to the Queensland Museum.