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Choose your meals carefully if you need to coexist with a toxic invader

Biology

Choose your meals carefully if you need to coexist with a toxic invader

L. Pettit, G. Ward-fear, et al.

In a fascinating study by Lachlan Pettit, Georgia Ward-Fear, and Richard Shine, researchers discovered how monitor lizards adapt to the threat of poisonous cane toads. These lizards, inhabiting toad-invaded sites, show a remarkable ability to avoid toad legs, suggesting their survival hinges on recognizing and rejecting toxic prey. Dive into the behavioral strategies that enable them to coexist with this lethal invader!

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Playback language: English
Abstract
Vulnerable native species may survive the impact of a lethally toxic invader by changes in behavior, physiology, and/or morphology. This study investigated the behavioral responses of monitor lizards (*Varanus panoptes* and *V. varius*) to poisonous cane toad (*Rhinella marina*) legs and non-toxic controls across Australia. Results show that monitors in toad-invaded sites avoided consuming toad legs, while those in toad-free sites consumed them at a rate of 60%. This confirms that the ability to recognize and reject toads as prey allows coexistence with cane toads.
Publisher
Scientific Reports
Published On
Dec 14, 2020
Authors
Lachlan Pettit, Georgia Ward-Fear, Richard Shine
Tags
monitor lizards
poisonous cane toads
behavioral responses
prey recognition
survival strategies
coexistence
toxicity avoidance

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