A mostly happy linkspam

[alias_sqbr]

First, something really depressing: Cane toad hops into Bayswater Way too close to my house for comfort D: D: (the true horror of this may be lost to non-Australians)

And now a bunch of happy things from tumblr, which will be of no interest to anyone who is already subscribed to me there. I've linked to my posts since they have image descriptions.

A really pretty beach at night

Adorable hedgehogs

Art by Henri Rivière

Adorable fuzzy moth bird things

Cool Portal mirrors

Dragon Age:
Leliana and f!Surana femslash fanart

The gods associated with various Dalish tattoos in Dragon Age

Comments

[lilacsigil]

They're that far south in WA? NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[kerravonsen]

Cane toads are protected? WHAT? Cane toads are vermin, they are an introduced PEST. They should be exterminated.

You can tell I used to live in Queensland, can't you? 8-/

[alias_sqbr]

I KNOW D: D:

[alias_sqbr]

I got the impression they're protected the same way a crime scene is: not because it's wanted but to gather information to stop it ever happening again.

[kerravonsen]

Ah, that makes more sense.

[rdm]

It is likely to be just an isolated case. Phew.

But not so fast...

One of the key ways cane toads spread is through opportunistic transportation. An example often cited is of cane toads being taken by raptors, who then drop them several kilometres away on discovering their inedibility. Over quite a short time, this can accelerate the spread by a surprising amount.

Accidental transport by car can do the same thing. Especially if there is a steady flow of vehicles from an infested area to a particular new location.

So, in short, "Eeek!".

But hang on!

There is a silver (or at least silver-plated) lining of sorts.

Cane toads are tropical beasties, and Perth winters are generally cold enough to kill them off, so the likelihood of a permanent population establishing itself this far south is quite low.

[rdm]

Actually, they are saying that if you see something that you *think* might be a toad, get it checked out, as we have a lot of endangered (and thus protected) indigenous frogs - some of which could be mistaken for a toad.

[sqbr]

*nods*

Still, it's not a good thing.