by Whiting | Jan 25, 2017 | Behaviour, Cane toads
By Jodie Gruber The cane toad (Rhinella marina) has been spreading rapidly across northern Australia since its introduction to control sugar cane beetles in 1935. While toads have been the focus of considerable research, we still have a poor understanding of how...
by Whiting | Jun 18, 2015 | Cane toads, Conservation
Scientists (including Lizard Lab associate Jonno Webb) have been trying to ameliorate the impact of toxic cane toads on the threatened northern quoll. They have been doing this using taste aversion learning, where quolls are fed nausea-inducing cane toad sausages from...
by Whiting | Jul 27, 2014 | Cane toad cognition, Cognition, Lab news, Social behaviour, Tree skink project
We have acquired an amazing new indoor space in which we can study lizard and toad behaviour and cognition. We have a small room for a Morris Water Maze for studying spatial cognition (ably set up by Jodie Gruber), a much larger room with lots of shelves and CCTV...
by Whiting | May 14, 2013 | Cane toad cognition, Cane toads, Lab news, Lizard Lab adventures
The Kimberley in Western Australia is a vast expanse of wilderness, famous for its pristine gorges and unique fauna. It’s also home to the highest species richness of goannas—up to 10 are sympatric in some areas. Sean Doody (University of Tennessee and Newcastle),...
by Whiting | Jan 15, 2013 | Cane toads, Frog, Lab news
Since its introduction to Queensland in 1935, the cane toad (Rhinella marina) has spread westwards across northern Australia, is now present in all but one of the major regions of the Wet-Dry tropics, and has just started to spread into the last region – the pristine...