Invasion of the Toxic Toads
No, it’s not a horror movie-it’s real life in Florida.
Marine toads are native in an area from Mexico and Central America to the Amazon. They first arrived in Florida in 1955, when a shipment imported by a pet dealer was accidentally released at the Miami International Airport, then they spread through canals into other areas. Some pet dealers deliberately released the toads in the early 1960s, probably because they were too unpleasant to sell.
“They’re on the bottom of the list of the toads we sell,” says Mike Purcell of the Aquarium Connection in Gainesville. “But they’re extremely durable, so they’re really easy to keep as pets.”
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