Monster Toad From Darwin

A huge cane toad the size of a small dog has been captured in the Australian tropical city of Darwin, startling environmentalists who are fighting to stop the poisonous amphibians spread across the country.

"We've never seen a cane toad this big," said Paul Cowdy from FrogWatch

The cane toad, regarded as a major pest in Australia, was one of 39 caught by a group from FrogWatch near Lee Point in Darwin. It measures 8 inches in length and weighs 1.8 pounds which is twice the normal weight.

Cane toads are one of Australia's worst environmental mistakes. The spread of the toads, whose skin is poisonous, has led to dramatic declines in populations of native snakes, goanna lizards and quolls, which are cat-sized marsupials.

Cane toads were introduced from Hawaii in 1935 in a failed bid to control native cane beetles. There are now more than 200 million


"We capture them, put them in plastic bags, freeze them and turn them into liquid fertilizer," Cowdy said of the cane toads. Being a reptile lover I practicly yelped outload when I found out about that last tidpit...

Gotta have a sense of humor to avoid going crazy
Frogs` Legs With Mushrooms & Green Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pound frogs' legs
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, washed, quartered
• 3 green peppers, seeded, cut in pieces
• 4 tablespoons butter
• flour
• seasonings to taste

Directions:

Dredge frogs' legs with flour. Put frogs' legs and other ingredients in a sauce pan. Cover. Let cook slowly for about 18 minutes. Then serve.

This recipe for Frogs` Legs With Mushrooms & Green Peppers serves: 4

Edible Art - Kaiseki Culinary