Taste Aversion and Invasive Species

Freshwater crocodile taking bait. Georgia Ward-Fear, used with permission.

To protect freshwater crocodiles from deadly invasive cane toads, scientists at Macquarie University collaborated with Bunuba Indigenous rangers and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) in Western Australia. The team came up with a strategy that proved successful: They taught wild crocodiles to associate cane toads with a bout of food poisoning.

Read about the project at my Animal Minds blog: A Surprising Way to Fight Invasive Species.