A toad with an extra limb growing from its back was found in Gladstone,
Queensland.
SYDNEY: A concerning rate of "mutant toads" with extra limbs
and missing eyes are being found in the industrial Queensland city of
Gladstone.
Scott Wilson
from Central Queensland University said up to 20% of cane toads in certain
areas in Gladstone were found with "malformations", compared with 1%
of the population in non-urban areas.
On average,
between 6% and 8% of 10,000 cane toads examined across the Gladstone region
have been found with abnormalities in the past three years.
Cane toads have
been found with a third leg growing from their chest, while others have been
found with missing limbs.
The toads are
caught for environmental research by a council-run team of Gladstone
Toadbusters.
The group
catches as many as 500 toads in an hour.
Gladstone is
home to a coal-fired power station, two aluminium refineries, and a developing
liquefied natural gas industry.
But Dr Wilson
said the city's heavy industry was not necessarily to blame for malformations
in the toads.
"In fact I
did some preliminary work in Sydney with native frogs and found abnormalities
in around six to eight per cent of the population there," Dr Wilson said.
The mutations
in Gladstone's cane toads could therefore spell problems for native frogs in
the region too.
"Cane
toads are to the fresh water environment, what canaries were to coal
mines," Wilson said.
High exposure
to ultraviolet radiation and parasites, as well as chemical runoff and airborne
pollution can contribute to abnormalities in the amphibians.
"There are
a multitude of potential causes," Wilson said.
"What
might be happening at one site could be different to what's happening at
another."
He said further
funding was crucial for continued analysis.
"Definitely,
follow-up studies are needed. We've seen malformations constantly over the past
three years, and we need to find out why," Wilson said.
The water
quality and health of fish in Gladstone Harbour has been in sharp focus in
recent years.
Temporary
fishing bans have been imposed on the central Queensland harbour, after fish
with skin lesions and cloudy eyes were found.
In 2011, 231
turtles and six dolphins were found dead in Gladstone.
Fishermen have
blamed the water in the harbor for causing the problems, suggesting
large-scale dredging had stirred up contaminants. - Brisbane Times
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