Eggs

It may seem an easy way to control cane toads by disposing of their eggs but if not all eggs are removed recent studies have shown that remaining eggs hatch cane toad tadpoles that become healthier, stronger individuals which can do more damage to our native wildlife.

Whilst it is safe to remove eggs you think are those of cane toad, in your own garden, before removing eggs from the natural environment elsewhere, make sure you are 100% positive they are cane toad eggs-if not leave them. It is best to give native frogs a chance by controlling cane toads when you can recognise the cane toad by its brow bone and glands.

Cane Toad Eggs

When you see cane toad eggs, they are in a very large tangled mass of long strands or ropes of eggs in thick jelly. As each female toad can lay 30,000 eggs or more, the sheer numbers of them is often a clear indication that they belong to the cane toad. Each cane toad egg is enclosed within a clear jelly capsule (often arranged in pairs) within a long strand of tough, rope-like jelly.

Native Frog Eggs

The most commonly seen eggs of native frogs in ponds and creek pools are white foamy clumps that float on the surface among plants in the water. The white foam floats at the surface of the water and is a mixture of air bubbles and clear jelly, rather like beaten egg-whites.

These eggs are laid by:

• Northern Banjo Frog
• Striped and Spotted Marsh Frogs
• Marbles Frog

Other egg masses sometimes seen are:

Non-foamy, oval-shaped clumps in which all the jelly capsules around each egg stick together and float at the surface. The diameter of a clump is usually only from three to five centimetres across.

These eggs are laid by:

• Rocket Frog
• Northern Spadefoot
• Holy Cross Toad

Eggs of other native are rarely seen because they are very small eggs, laid singly on the bottom or attached to vegetation. Some are in small clusters attached to water plants beneath the surface.