Dubbed “Toadzilla” by the rangers, the 2.7-kilogram (5.9-pound) amphibian was found in Conway National Park in Queensland last week when park officials were conducting track work, the state’s Department of Environment and Science said on social media.
Toadzilla was removed by rangers as cane toads destroy Australia’s native wildlife.
Queensland Department Of Environment and Science/Reuters
Ranger Kylee Gray said team came across the mammoth creature when she left their vehicle as they stopped to let a snake slither across the track.
“We dubbed it Toadzilla,” Gray said, adding that they worked quickly to remove it from the wild because a cane toad of its size will eat “anything it can fit into its mouth.”
Believed to be female, as they typically grow larger than their male counterparts, the toad was taken back to the rangers’ base, where she was weighed. Rangers say Toadzilla could set a new record.
Toadzilla was placed in a bucket with water for her monumental weigh in.
Queensland Department Of Environment and Science/Reuters
Toadzilla has since been “euthanised due to the environmental damage they cause,” the department added in its tweet.
The Department of Environment and Science told CNN on Friday that she has been sent to the Queensland Museum for further analysis.
Source: www.cnn.com