Cane Toad

Cane toads are the chapter's primary invasive species example. Australia imported 102 toads from Hawaii in 1935 to control beetles. By 2020, 200 million spread across northern Australia, advancing 30-40 miles per year.

Cane toads are toxic - native Australian predators (quolls, snakes, monitor lizards, crocodiles) evolved without exposure to toad toxins. They attack instinctively and die. This is ecological release: invaders freed from constraints that limited them in native habitat. Grab and Uber experienced business equivalents.