Bluetongue lizardSCOTT MAXWORTHY, FLICKR
Dangerous snack
Poisonous invasive species don’t deter the hungry Australian bluetongue lizard. A new paper in the American Naturalist found that the native lizards that eat toxic mother-of-millions plants are largely resistant to the toxins of the invasive cane toad, which has wreaked havoc on Australia’s ecosystems since being purposefully introduced in 1935 in an attempt to control the native cane beetle, which damages sugar cane crops. Both the plant and toads produce a toxin called bufadienolide. When injected with a non-lethal dose of bufadienolide, bluetongues from areas of Australia without the toxic plant swam 50 percent slower than normal, while bluetongues from areas with the plants swam only 20 percent slower, demonstrating a resistance to the poison.
The researchers hope that resistance will lessen ...
