Pure science: Australian cane toads become cannibalistic in a display of rapid evolution

The invasive and poisonous Australian pest, cane toad, has become increasingly cannibalistic in recent years, indicating a new form of evolution occurring in Australia not seen in the toads’ native habitat in South America. ThePrint’s Sandhya Ramesh explains why the toads are killing each other within less than a century of landing on the continent. Subscribe to the Pure Science Telegram Channel https://t.me/PureScienceWithSandhyaRamesh Supplementary reading: Crossland et al., Ecology and Evolution (2022). Choosy cannibals: Targeted consumption of conspecific hatchlings by larval cane toads is triggered by species-specific defensive toxins https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8655 Cane Toads An Unnatural History (1988) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SBLf1tsoaw