ID and Disposal the Easy Way

Toad eggs look nothing like any Australian frog's eggs so they are easy to identify. All Australian frogs lay their eggs in other than strings. They might be clumps under water attached to a rock or vegetation, a lump of foam (like frothed up laundry soap) on the water's surface, or as a film which spreads across the surface. (Microhylids lay clumps of eggs in soil and would not be readily identifiable to most people as being frog eggs at all, much less confused for toad eggs.)

Cane toads lay their eggs in very long strands of clear jelly, sort of like small black pearls in a long clear plastic tube. These strands can get all tangled up in underwater vegetation so, at first, they might look like the eggs are clumped together, but if you use a stick or rake to try to pick them up, the long strands will hang down and you'll see that they are not clumped at all.

Pull the toad eggs out of the water and dispose of them by either putting them into your compost bin, burying them in the garden or leaving them on the lawn to dry in the sun.

In a warm climate, the eggs will hatch in only 24 to 48 hours so a daily vigilence of a pond is necessary to catch them while they are still eggs.

Last updated: Oct 4th, 2005