Regular readers will know that since the start of this year, I have reduced the number of posts from 5 to 3 a week. So these days, I don’t usually write a post on Thursdays. But today I have made an exception for two reasons.
Firstly, tomorrow is Good Friday so I’m going to give myself the day off. So it makes sense to squeeze in a post today. But the other reason, the big reason, is that Australians all around this country are waking up to some incredible news this morning.
Incredible, but also very scary.
It would surely be neglectful of me not to share this news with you today, as it breaks.
I have written about the cane toad before, describing it as the greatest ecological threat Australia has ever seen.
That’s the picture of the very ugly, but very average cane toad that I posted on the article.
He is an average cane toad because he was about 10 to 15 cm long (about 4 to 6 inches) and weighed less than half a kilo. But they can and often do get bigger than that. Cane toad’s start to get described as monsters when they get close to about a kilogram in weight and longer than about 18cm in length, that’s over 7 inches from snout to vent.
The biggest cane toad ever found in Australia was 24 cm long and weighed in at a hefty 1.3 kg. That’s almost 3lbs.
But the worlds largest ever cane toad is reported to have weighed a massive 2.65 kg, that’s 5 lbs. 8 oz. It was a huge 38 cm in length, that’s around 15 inches.
That was, until today.
Australians have woken up this morning to the news that a colony of what is now being described as “Giant Cane Toads” has been discovered in a remote area of Northern Territory called Woop Woop. These cane toads, and there are thousands of them, appear to have an average weight of 30 kilograms, that’s nearly 5 stone, with a body length of approximately 1 metre!
Remember, cane toads are highly toxic, have the ability to spray their toxins some length and eat anything. Now we have them the size of a large dog! The implications to Australia and its people are both enormous and very frightening.
Or they would be if it wasn’t for one thing.
According to Wikipedia……
“Traditionally, in some countries, such as the UK, Australia, and South Africa the jokes only last until noon, and someone who plays a trick after noon is called an “April Fool”.[1] Elsewhere, such as in France, Ireland, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Russia, The Netherlands, Brazil, Canada, and the U.S., the jokes last all day.”
Now, where’s Baz?
Oh, before we roll the film, rest of the world, slight language alert, Australian’s, you’re good to go……..
Dang! I was going to post about daylight savings ending today, what’s going on? Now you’re one step ahead of me!
OK, I gotta work out your next move and do it first…….
Sorry Bob, should have mentioned earlier that I was talking about April Fools Day. I think one State ended Daylight Saving at the end of March and the other on the first Sunday in April.
Thanks very much! ( I don’t think ). Look here Bob, I was going to mention “Cane Toads” and “Woop Woop” in my next little foray into your site. Now you’re one step ahead of me……How did that happen? Of course, it’s because you’re nine hours ahead ; it’s the only explanation. You’ve reminded me of the time I had a restaurant in Albury N.S.W. ( great place ) and was a Mexican ( lived south of the border in Wodonga V.I.C.).That year (1981/2?) Daylight Saving ended on a different day, so we had a bit of fun trying to catch those out who had their watches set wrongly, having crossed the border. P.S. Woop Woop, is that anywhere near the Back of Bourke ?