The invasive cane toad (Bufo marinus) in West New Britain, Papua New Guinea: observations and potential impacts on native wildlife

Abstract

Since the introduction of cane toads (Bufo marinus) to East New Britain 75 years ago, they have spread rapidly across Papua New Guinea and several of its offshore islands. Their dispersal was thought to be limited by habitat constraints such as primary rainforest and altitude. However, during a scientific expedition into the Hargy Caldera and Nakanai Mountains in 2011, we made several observations of B. marinus existing within undisturbed primary rainforest habitat and at altitudes greater than 800 m above sea level. Given their propensity to reach considerable population densities and threat towards naive predators, these amphibians have the potential to have negative adverse effects on native Papua New Guinean wildlife. Future research on the potential ecological impacts of B. marinus in Papua New Guinea should be prioritized.