Guest guest Posted May 1, 2005 Report Share Posted May 1, 2005 Hi! Was very worried if this exploding toad could amount to exploding people. Apparently, did some searches until I found the answer. Apparently, it is caused by the pecking crows stealing the livers on the toads and the toad body's defence mechanism apparently caused the exploding. Without the liver, we would all die, explode or not! ALthough not as spectacular. Well, here it is: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/04/28/exploding_german_toads/ Exploding toads baffle Germans By Lester Haines Published Thursday 28th April 2005 10:18Â GMT Updated German toad experts are baffled by an acute outbreak of exploding toad syndrome which has totalled hundreds of the amphibians since the beginning of the month. The former inhabitants of a Hamburg pond - now chillingly renamed the " pond of death " - spontaneously swelled to enormous proportions before going bang, in the process propelling their entrails for up to a metre. Hamburg nature protection society spokesman, Werner Smolnik, told the Hamburger Abendblatt daily: " It looks like a scene from a science- fiction movie. The bloated animals suffer for several minutes before they finally die. " Janne Kloepper, a boffin at Hamburg-based Institute for Hygiene and the Environment, added: " It's absolutely strange. We have a really unique story here in Hamburg. This phenomenon really doesn't seem to have appeared anywhere before. " She added that lab tests have ruled out a bacteriological or viral cause of the explosions, and have further shown the pond water to be normal. Tests for another possible agent - a fungus accidently introduced from South America* - have also proved negative. The authorities have moved swiftly to protect the public from the exploding toad menace. The pond is now closed and a biologist is on station every night between 2 and 3am, when toad explosions reach a peak. In Australia, meanwhile, we're certain that toadologists are awaiting with eager anticipation the identification of the cause of the exploding German toad. Oz currently hosts 100 million unwelcome cane toads and there's nothing the Aussies would like more than to see a landscape littered with the corpses of eviscerated, exploded toads. & #174; Update Mystery solved. We're obliged to those readers who sent us the breathless news that today's Der Spiegel says crows have been fingered as the culprits. Apparently the crow pecks a small hole in the toad to get at the liver. The toad begins to inflate itself - its normal defence mechanism - but because there is no separation between lung cavity and abdomen, the poor blighter keeps on expanding until it goes pop. That's the gist of it, at least. We're going to conclude by noting that if you tried to make this up, your friends would probably advise you to seek professional help. Bootnote I Ta very much to regular reader Rose Humphrey for the exploding toad alert. Bootnote II *We have no further information about the Latin American toad- detonating fungus. The mind boggles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 1, 2005 Report Share Posted May 1, 2005 Wonder why the huge increase if that is the case. Weird habits those crows....parhat <parhat wrote: Hi! Was very worried if this exploding toad could amount to exploding people. Apparently, did some searches until I found the answer. Apparently, it is caused by the pecking crows stealing the livers on the toads and the toad body's defence mechanism apparently caused the exploding. Without the liver, we would all die, explode or not! ALthough not as spectacular. Well, here it is:http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/04/28/exploding_german_toads/Exploding toads baffle GermansBy Lester HainesPublished Thursday 28th April 2005 10:18 GMTUpdated German toad experts are baffled by an acute outbreak of exploding toad syndrome which has totalled hundreds of the amphibians since the beginning of the month. The former inhabitants of a Hamburg pond - now chillingly renamed the "pond of death" - spontaneously swelled to enormous proportions before going bang, in the process propelling their entrails for up to a metre.Hamburg nature protection society spokesman, Werner Smolnik, told the Hamburger Abendblatt daily: "It looks like a scene from a science-fiction movie. The bloated animals suffer for several minutes before they finally die."Janne Kloepper, a boffin at Hamburg-based Institute for Hygiene and the Environment, added: "It's absolutely strange. We have a really unique story here in Hamburg. This phenomenon really doesn't seem to have appeared anywhere before." She added that lab tests have ruled out a bacteriological or viral cause of the explosions, and have further shown the pond water to be normal. Tests for another possible agent - a fungus accidently introduced from South America* - have also proved negative.The authorities have moved swiftly to protect the public from the exploding toad menace. The pond is now closed and a biologist is on station every night between 2 and 3am, when toad explosions reach a peak.In Australia, meanwhile, we're certain that toadologists are awaiting with eager anticipation the identification of the cause of the exploding German toad. Oz currently hosts 100 million unwelcome cane toads and there's nothing the Aussies would like more than to see a landscape littered with the corpses of eviscerated, exploded toads. & #174;UpdateMystery solved. We're obliged to those readers who sent us the breathless news that today's Der Spiegel says crows have been fingered as the culprits. Apparently the crow pecks a small hole in the toad to get at the liver. The toad begins to inflate itself - its normal defence mechanism - but because there is no separation between lung cavity and abdomen, the poor blighter keeps on expanding until it goes pop. That's the gist of it, at least. We're going to conclude by noting that if you tried to make this up, your friends would probably advise you to seek professional help.Bootnote ITa very much to regular reader Rose Humphrey for the exploding toad alert.Bootnote II*We have no further information about the Latin American toad-detonating fungus. The mind boggles.«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§ - PULSE ON WORLD HEALTH CONSPIRACIES! §Subscribe:......... - To :.... - Any information here in is for educational purpose only, it may be news related, purely speculation or someone's opinion. Always consult with a qualified health practitioner before deciding on any course of treatment, especially for serious or life-threatening illnesses.**COPYRIGHT NOTICE**In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107,any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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