Oh very nice 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
My apologies but I am going from memory on this one. During my undergraduate years at James Cook University I recall reading a short article in the local newspaper, regarding the antics of a pair of biology students. During one of the afternoon practical sessions the students were required to dissect a cane toad. The cane toad, Bufo Marinus, was introduced from South America in an effort to biologically control the cane beetle, which is repsonsible for millions of dollars of lost sugar cane production each year. In short, this was an environmental disaster as the toad never developed an appetite for cane beetles alone, but has been known to swallow anything else from small rodents to snakes. One of its most endearing features of the canetoad is the possession of a pair of poison sacs located behind the head. However, it seems that the toxins are not restricted solely to these glands. In a magnaminous gesture, one of the students in question bet his lab partner $20 to swallow the ovaries of the cane toad they had dissected. Obviously in need for the money, his partner complied. This was not clever as the swallower proceeded to experience four cardiac arrests while in transit to the hospital. the final sentence in the article suggested that we still do not know enough about the cocktail of toxins possessed by the cane toad. The person in question is not eligible for a Darwin Award as he did not die but I would suggest he at least deserves an honourable mention. If there are any readers from Townsville I'd be interested if they could wade thru the back issues of the Townsville Bulletin and check the details.Submitted on 02/03/2003
Submitted by:
Brett
Reference:
Townsville Bulletin, 1984/85
Copyright © 2002 DarwinAwards.com
|
