Cannibal tree frogs are spreading from Florida to other US states
Cannibal tree frogs that will eat anything that can fit in their mouths have invaded multiple US state and should be killed, wildlife officials say.
The frogs from the Caribbean that can grow to the size of a human hand were spotted in Georgia last year and the state has been tracking them because they can cause ecological damage, biologist Daniel Sollenberger told the Augusta Chronicle.
People who come across the frogs should kill them and get rid of standing water at their homes, Sollenberger said.
‘They start out small, but they can quickly grow as big as your hand,’ he said. ‘It’s a really big tree frog. They can get three times the size of our next largest native tree frog, which is the barking tree frog.’
The US Geological Survey has a Cuban tree frog map showing where cannibal frogs that will eat anything have invaded the US (Picture: US Geological Survey)
The species, Osteopilus septentrionalis, are native to Cuba, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands, and can range from olive green to bronze to gray, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). They have large toe pads.
A USGS map from December shows the cannibal tree frogs have a presence throughout Florida. It shows they have spread to Georgia and other states across the country, as far north as Vermont.
There has been ‘some anecdotal evidence from Florida’ that the cannibal tree frogs can reduce populations of native frogs, Sollenberger said.
Cannibal tree frogs range in color from olive green to bronze to gray
‘If we want to have some native wildlife left in our yards, this could be a problem,’ he said.
The cannibal frogs do not like cold weather and tend to find warm places to live like near electrical boxes, he added.
To kill a cannibal frog, Sollenberger advises dropping Orajel, a pain relief medication with benzocaine, on the back of the amphibian. The University of Florida recommends also putting the frog in the freezer for 24 hours to make sure the local anesthetic kills it.
Cannibal tree frogs are native to Cuba, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands
Georgia residents who spot the invasive species are encouraged to report them to the state’s Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division.
‘The goal of this effort is to prevent and control the introduction of invasive species into Georgia and minimize the further spread and impacts of existing invasive species populations on native species, environmental quality, human health, and the economy,’ states the division on its website.
Cannibal tree frogs are not the only invasive animals to threaten the US recently. In November, wildlife experts warned that feral ‘super pigs’ that can eat anything, spread diseases and tear up land are multiplying in Canada and could cross into the US and wreck havoc.
Cannibal tree frogs will eat anything that will fit in their mouths and can grow up to the size of a human hand.