Quick Take
- Cane toads achieved a python ride to survive the 2018 Australia floods.
- Potent bufotoxins create a lethal constraint for predators.
- Herpetologists identified a counterintuitive mating drive during the scramble.
- A burrow evacuation was necessary during the flood to ensure amphibian survival.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. The animal kingdom is full of moments like these, with different species interacting in strange and unique ways. These unusual relationships occur more frequently during natural disasters and are interesting to observe. This Instagram post by @therealnurtle shows cane toads riding on a python to avoid flooding in Australia—a phenomenon that has been seen and documented in several other instances. Read here to learn more.
A cane toad sitting on grass.
©ChWeiss/Shutterstock.com
Toads and Pythons
The widely reported story comes from December 2018 in Kununurra, Australia. During rare floods in the country, cane toads were seen making a last-ditch effort to escape the dangerous waters—their best option: hitching a ride from a python. The moment went viral for obvious reasons. The bizarre occurrence isn’t something you see every day, and it left many people puzzled. This highlights the instincts that take over when animals are trying to survive. The rising waters most likely flushed the toads out of their burrows, forcing them to scramble for whatever dry land was available.
Since the pythons were already heading to dry land, the toads simply hopped on. Some herpetologists suggested that the male toads may have been attempting to mate. Because male cane toads cling to whatever they are trying to mate with, some experts speculated that this behavior explained why the toads latched onto the python.
Strangely enough, the python in the photos appears to be quite calm about the situation. While we might expect the python to immediately attack the toads, there is one major reason why it did not. This is because cane toads are toxic. Cane toads have toxins in their skin and glands known as bufotoxins, which can be quite potent. These toxins can sicken or kill many predators that do not have resistance, making them dangerous to even pythons.
While the python might not have been perfectly comfortable serving as a living taxi for the toads, eating them wouldn’t have been the smartest option either. So, while this image is amusing, it highlights how two species, faced with desperate circumstances, made the most of their situation.
