00:00According to you, what would be one of the most dangerous animals in the world?
00:03It is neither a venomous snake, nor a formidable tiger.
00:07It is neither a ferocious grizzly, nor a huge crocodile.
00:10This extremely dangerous creature, capable of destroying entire species of animals,
00:16and of causing an ecological imbalance anywhere in the world,
00:19is none other than the buffalo toad.
00:21It does not seem frightening, nor very aggressive.
00:24It will not take it from you, nor from any other animal.
00:28It spends its time among the grass of the swamps, hunting incohescent insects.
00:32It also has many predators, herons, lizards, and many others.
00:37But look, this crocodile swims towards the toad, and grabs it in its powerful jaws.
00:42Lunch is served, but observe what happens next.
00:45The crocodile feels very bad.
00:47It loses its strength, and remains spread out on the grass, without breathing.
00:51We all know what that means.
00:55In reality, the buffalo toad is a highly toxic amphibian.
01:00It has parotid glands behind its omoplates, which secrete a dangerous toxin.
01:05As soon as it enters an animal's stomach, it causes irreversible reactions throughout the body.
01:11Animals devour, these buffalo toads survive very rarely.
01:15And now, imagine that there are a million toads, like this one.
01:19Each one, representing an attractive meal for predators.
01:23This toad is native to South and Central America.
01:27But it became famous after causing a real environmental disaster in Australia.
01:32It all started in 1935.
01:36When people introduced these buffalo toads to fight the coleopteres,
01:40which parasitized sugarcane, they devastated the cultures in the northern part of the country.
01:45Farmers therefore thought that these imported toads would quickly eliminate the harmful ones.
01:51But far from helping them, Australia suffered even more devastation.
01:56The first problem was that toads did not hunt the targeted insects.
02:00It would have been useful to know this in advance.
02:03These insects lived at the top of large bushes, and buffalo toads could not jump so high.
02:09So they preferred to feed on other insects, and quickly multiplied.
02:14Initially, only a hundred buffalo toads had been introduced.
02:18Farmers managed to raise more than 2,000, and released them into the fields.
02:23This population of amphibians increased to reach 200 million in less than 85 years.
02:29They invaded Australia, and led to a decrease in the population of predators that tried to feed on it.
02:35Alas, the local fauna failed to develop immunity against their poison.
02:40These invading toads spread throughout the northern part of the continent,
02:45covering a distance of 50 km per year, and causing damage to all the ecosystems they encountered.
02:51Australians reported seeing birds fall from the sky after eating these toads.
02:59These amphibians are dangerous to anyone who consumes or touches them.
03:03Any animal that would lick or bite this toad would immediately receive a dose of lethal poison.
03:09And their resistance only aggravates the problem.
03:12Amphibians can survive in almost all weather conditions, and reproduce anywhere.
03:18They are found in tropical forests, coastal brushwoods, and even in the dunes.
03:24They can withstand both hot and cold temperatures, and devour everything in their path.
03:29And they are not difficult to feed.
03:32These amphibians feed on living insects, carcasses, and other waste.
03:37But the biggest problem is their rate of reproduction.
03:40Female toads, or buffalo, lay between 8 and 30,000 eggs twice a year.
03:45In three days, tiny toads hatch.
03:48They hover in the water for 20 weeks, then become small toads.
03:53Their life expectancy is 5 to 10 years in the wild.
03:57Bad weather conditions, predators, drought, and everything else are unable to stop them.
04:04We don't know what to do to get rid of them.
04:07The only chance to protect the other animals is to teach them not to eat these toads.
04:12Scientists have prepared sausages made from buffalo toads,
04:16containing a low concentration of poison.
04:19They gave this food to varents, crocodiles of freshwater, and other predators,
04:25so that they could recognize the taste of this famous toad.
04:28They were slightly poisoned by these sausages,
04:31and thought that everything that smelled like this was dangerous.
04:35We hope that after this experiment,
04:37predators will avoid toads when they detect their smell.
04:41Amphibians have destroyed a large part of biodiversity in the north of the country,
04:45and now they are moving quickly to Western Australia.
04:49Researchers hope that their plan will protect the fauna.
04:52But what to do next?
04:54Maybe nature will offer a solution to the problem?
04:57Some predators could become immune to toxins,
05:01but no one knows when this will happen.
05:03These invading toads pose a serious ecological problem,
05:07although they may seem harmless.
05:09But what about the invading pythons?
05:11In the Everglades, in Florida,
05:13it is the Burmese pythons that threaten the local fauna.
05:19These gigantic rampant snakes have become the dominant species,
05:22even dislodging the alligators from the tides.
05:25These pythons feed on rabbits, opossums, and other animals,
05:29reducing their population by 99%.
05:32Of course, there are not as many pythons as there are toads,
05:35and people know how to get rid of them.
05:37But the problem is that they are exceptionally good at hiding.
05:41Even experts in wild fauna can't find them in thick vegetation.
05:45These pythons are also excellent hunters.
05:48They camouflage themselves and wait before attacking,
05:51which makes them some of the most dangerous invasive creatures in the world.
05:55Fortunately, they don't attack humans.
05:58Wild pigs are one of the most aggressive invading species on Earth.
06:03They have sharp teeth and powerful defenses.
06:07They are not afraid of anything and can even attack humans.
06:11These quick-tempered animals feed on glands, chestnuts, wild birds' eggs,
06:17and trample on crops, sowing terror among all the creatures in the region.
06:23They cause 1.5 billion dollars of damage each year in 47 of the 50 American states.
06:29Imported to the United States a few centuries ago,
06:32these wild pigs have recently experienced a demographic explosion.
06:36Biologists and farmers are trying to solve the problem,
06:39but for now, it is very difficult to control the population.
06:43This little insect seems harmless,
06:46but it could lead to the disappearance of orange juice in some countries.
06:50This is the Psilasiatidae, which likes to feed on oranges.
06:55This insect carries bacteria that infect trees and gradually destroy them.
07:01Once infested, tree roots deform,
07:04oranges fall prematurely, and the tree slowly loses its vitality.
07:08Psilasiatidae grows in Florida, where about 80% of American orange juice is produced.
07:15In addition, this parasite is also present in Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, and California,
07:22all being lemon-producing states.
07:25We have talked about amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and invading insects.
07:29And the birds in all this?
07:31The St. John's worm is a cute little bird, but it ceases to be so as soon as it joins a brood.
07:36St. John's worms gather in hundreds, if not thousands, forming huge black clouds.
07:42They invade cities, villages, and fields in search of food.
07:46These birds consume the cattle's food, creating many problems for farmers.
07:52This invading insect does not threaten other animal species,
07:56does not damage crops or trees, does not die, and does not transmit any infection.
08:01The main problem is the unpleasant smell it emits.
08:04There are so many diabolical punishments in Europe,
08:07that it is very likely that some of them live in your garden.
08:10If you have already met one, you probably remember this nauseating smell.
08:15Thanks to this fragrance, the St. John's worms have almost no enemies, at least in our country.
08:22But in China, their population is regulated by wasps that lay their eggs on the backs of insects.
08:29There are no such wasps in the United States, however, so that the St. John's worms reproduce freely.
08:36Now let's talk about one of the most invasive plants in the world, the coccasus.
08:41It secretes a toxin that activates as soon as it is exposed to sunlight.
08:46This toxin can burn the skin and destroy trees and plants that grow around it.
08:53At first glance, it may seem like a pretty plant.
08:56It has a stem 4 to 5 meters high, decorated with a magnificent white flower.
09:00But this plant annihilates all vegetation around it.
09:03The berth of the coccasus releases its seeds and a slight breeze scatters them over kilometers in a row.
09:09When new plants develop, they suffocate all other surrounding vegetation.
09:15The problem is that the berth of the coccasus has no natural enemy.
09:19Insects that can be harmed cannot consume it because of its poison.
09:23Animals also avoid it.
09:25Maybe nature will end up creating insects capable of eating its leaves, thus restoring balance.
09:32Translation by Jean Laflute
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