IN BRIEF
Monster find
A park ranger in Queensland discovered a massive cane toad weighing 2.7kg, which is possibly a new world record. Nicknamed ‘Toadzilla’ the poisonous amphibian was removed from the wild and euthanised as it is an invasive species. Cane toads were introduced to Australia in 1935, they have no natural predators and have wrought havoc on native animal populations.
FACT.
Think of great migratory masses and locusts may not spring to mind. Yet a swarm can weigh some 200,000 tons – roughly the same as 750,000 wildebeest.
Bloom and gloom
The Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland’s New Year Plant Hunt has reported the lowest total number of plants in bloom at New Year due to the more severe frosts experienced in December. Citizen scientists recorded 477 plants in bloom compared to 669 in 2022 and 710 in 2021.
A lot like chicken
DNA from domestic chickens is finding its way back into their wild ancestors via interbreeding. PLOS Genetics reports that wild red junglefowl now inherit up to 50 per cent of their genome from chickens that have been selectively-bred for millennia, resulting in loss of genetic diversity across their native range in Asia.
Penguin discovery
A new emperor penguin colony in Antarctica has been discovered by scientists using satellite mapping technology. This recent find makes a total of 66 known emperor penguin colonies around the coastline of Antarctica, with exactly half having been discovered by satellite imagery.