Toady overlords
April 29, 2005 9:51 AM   Subscribe

Toads that go bang; toads bang; toads ka-BANG!
posted by of strange foe (22 comments total)
 
Unbelievable!
posted by dfowler at 9:53 AM on April 29, 2005


Frasermoo will definitely be offended.
posted by dfowler at 9:56 AM on April 29, 2005


Any toad kabobs?
posted by terrapin at 10:03 AM on April 29, 2005


Hey, I wanted to see video of that!
posted by Dean Keaton at 10:03 AM on April 29, 2005


Wow, that's interesting stuff. For more toady goodness, check out my all time favorite animal documentary (previously mentioned on this thread).
posted by Staggering Jack at 10:04 AM on April 29, 2005


The Rapture for toads? Are you sure this BBC is a reliable news source? This sounds crazy, like a Weekly World News type of article.
posted by LeLiLo at 10:04 AM on April 29, 2005


They get killed by a horde of their sex crazed friends.

Man, what a way to go.
posted by debralee at 10:11 AM on April 29, 2005


Is this one of those biological weapons I keep hearing about?

Do they pull of a leg and then throw them like a grenade?
posted by fenriq at 10:16 AM on April 29, 2005


video please.........
posted by djlerman at 10:43 AM on April 29, 2005


A detail I just noticed on the "Kung Fu Hustle" poster: the man over the letters 'LE' is in the toad pose. (Sorry, this movie got me liking it too much.)
posted by of strange foe at 10:52 AM on April 29, 2005


Blame it on the crows:
"The crows are clever," said Frank Mutschmann, the vet who tested specimens [of the toads] at the Hamburg pond. He theorized that a bird pecks into the toad with its beak between the amphibian's chest and abdominal cavity to get at the liver, and the toad puffs itself up as a natural defense mechanism. But the defense mechanism backfires, Mutschmann said, since there's a hole in the toad's body and the liver is missing. The blood vessels and lungs burst and the other organs ooze out. [from Deutsche Welle]

Another article states that the toads can survive some time with their liver missing and the hole in their body, but when they get excited or try to mate, *boom*.
posted by ltl at 11:26 AM on April 29, 2005


but when they get excited or try to mate, *boom*.

Ghod, but I hate it when that happens. So do the neighbors...
posted by OneOliveShort at 11:51 AM on April 29, 2005


Poor things. Can you imagine the pain that type of bloating must cause?
posted by sourwookie at 11:53 AM on April 29, 2005


Anybody else reminded of swamp dragons?
posted by Wolfdog at 11:55 AM on April 29, 2005


Are they sure its not a copycat of the little old ladies from the "Triplets of Belleville" movie? [Minor spoiler alert] It evokes the scene where they lob live shells into the pond as an expedient method of harvesting pots full of tasty toads (er, frogs in their case, being French).

Anyone have the rather graphic footage from that scene to post?
posted by MrSoyBoy at 12:01 PM on April 29, 2005


I once saw a toad love a frog to death.

Male toads (and frog) get a really strong grasp, called amplexus, on their mates. If you go to a pond during a mating frenzy you can feel how strong the grasp is because male toads will amplexus your hand or fingers.

Males are not particular about what they mate with: other males, females, human hands, or frogs. When male toads are embraced, they send out an "I am not a girl" signal that involves chirping and kicking. And I guess females may chirp and kick to get the males to let go once they are done laying eggs.

However frogs do not know this species specific release signal.

One day after a mating frenzy I saw a toad clamped onto a frog. When I forcefully separated them I found that the frog had been drowned by the toad.
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 12:26 PM on April 29, 2005


MonkeySaltedNuts, did you just admit to allowing a toad to hump your arm? And it had a helluva grip? How did you get it off? I hope you didn't have to beat it off?

Remind me not to shake your hand if and when we meet.
posted by fenriq at 1:34 PM on April 29, 2005


The fact that these poor toads live for a while after they've "exploded", and sit there quivering and struggling in pain, is really sad... I'm surprised nobody has shown any sympathy. I'm no peta lover (mmmm, hamburgers), but damn...


.
posted by twiggy at 3:38 PM on April 29, 2005


You're right, Twiggy! Where's the government on this issue? I think we need to get Congress to look into it and maybe pass some legislation for additional funding to toad suffering relief.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 3:46 PM on April 29, 2005


This has been all over the tabloids in Sweden this week, and I just find it so damn, well, confusing. 'Cause it doesn't make sense. I fucking hate toads (really.) but this needs some closure.
Now I read some Brave German Scientists have taken upon themselves to dissect some of those poar toads, in hope of finding some answers.
I'm both eager to know, and not.
posted by mr.marx at 4:12 PM on April 29, 2005


a bird pecks into the toad with its beak between the amphibian's chest and abdominal cavity to get at the liver

Do they eat it with some fava beans and a nice Chianti?
posted by debralee at 8:38 PM on April 29, 2005


Reminds me of the scene at the beginning of 'the Reflecting Skin'.
posted by BrotherCaine at 9:53 PM on April 29, 2005


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