'Toadzilla' captured in Australia, possibly a record specimen

Rangers in Australia’s Conway National Park this week captured a cane toad that measured 10-plus inches and weighed nearly 6 pounds, possibly the largest on record.

Queensland National Parks explained on Facebook that rangers “Kylee and Steve” were working on a trail when they “stumbled across what they have dubbed ‘toadzilla.’ ”

The massive toad, “bigger than some newborns,” measured 255 millimeters, or 10.0394 inches.

Adult cane toads average 4-6 inches in length. The largest recorded specimen measured 9.4 inches.

Cane toads, native to South and Central America, were introduced to Queensland in 1935 to help with agricultural pest control.

But the poisonous, predatory reptiles are now widespread in Queensland and northeastern New South Wales, and represent a significant threat to native wildlife.

“Toadzilla,” believed to be a female, was removed from Conway National Park and might end up on display at Queensland Museum as a preserved specimen, “as she might be the largest cane toad on record.”