cane toad

American  

noun

1. a large brown toad, Bufo marinus, of tropical America, toxic to animals eating it and once exported to help control sugarcane beetles.

---

cane toad British  

noun

1. Also called: giant toad.   marine toad.  a large toad, Bufo marinus , native to Central and South America but introduced into many countries to control insects and other pests of sugar-cane plantations

---

Example Sentences

Though if it had been a cane toad - one of the country's most damaging, and ugly pests - that would be another story, she said.

From BBC • Jan. 15, 2026

Yellow spotted monitor lizards usually die after eating a single adult cane toad, an introduced pest with toxic skin secretions that has wreaked havoc on Australia’s native wildlife.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 15, 2024

Most will then avoid eating another cane toad and survive.

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2024

When she picked up the creature, she was holding a monster cane toad that she believes could be the largest of its kind in the world.

From Washington Post • Jan. 20, 2023

A cane toad so giant wildlife officers thought it was fake has been found in a north Australian rainforest.

From BBC • Jan. 19, 2023