Abstract

Between 1980 and 1984, the cane toad, Bufo marinus, expanded its range westward from a small, isolated and probably man-introduced population north-west of Burketown in Queensland, at an average rate of 27 km per year. The rate of range expansion is not influenced by rainfall (dry or wet season) and appears to occur by continual colonization of new areas by small, sexually immature toads. If current rates of expansion continue, cane toads will have colonized the 'Top End' of the Northern Territory by the year 2027. However, the high frequency of toad dispersal assisted by man suggests that colonization will be more rapid.