Watch Out For Bufo Toads In Tampa Bay Area
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 29: Poisonous cane toad, also known as bufos, are seen in a box after Jeannine Tilford, of Toad Busters, a toad removal company based in South Florida, captured them near a lake on March 29, 2019 in West Palm Beach, Florida. The highly toxic species of toad, which can cause harm to animals and people, has inundated some places in the Palm Beach area as the baby toads come out of the water this time of the year. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
If you’re a pet owner, you’ll want to be on the lookout for bufo toads.
Don’t let your precious pets get near them. They are toxic and could kill an animal in as little as 15 minutes. They secrete a milky-white toxin. This bufotoxin comes from glands on the back of their heads.
FWC is telling homeowners to please kill the bufo toads if you find them. “Before humanely killing a toad, always make sure that you have correctly identified it as a cane toad,” FWC said in a statement. “Native toad species are an important part of the ecosystem and are not harmful to people or pets so please be careful not to harm them.”
What do bufo toads look like?
Color: Reddish-brown to grayish-brown
Belly color: Light-yellow or beige
Angular, enlarged glands behind the eyes
Length: 6 to 9 inches
No ridges across the head
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Roxanne is a co-host on the MJ Morning Show and host of Middays on Q105 in Tampa Bay. She also hosts segments on The Current, which features local feel-good stories and health and wellness segments, and airs on five of the six Tampa-based Beasley Media Group stations. Roxanne has conducted hundreds of interviews, from athletes to Oscar winners, including Matt Damon, Christian Bale, and Chadwick Boseman. She also specializes in media training, having worked with clients in the NFL, NBA and WWE for television, in print, and online. Roxanne is a published author and will be releasing a thriller novel in 2024. Her favorite thing in the world is being with her two daughters and husband. As a content creator for Q105, Roxanne writes about family activities in the Tampa Bay area, as well as reviews for local restaurants and travel.
