 The cane toad ( Rhinella marina ) , also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad , is a large , terrestrial true toad which is native to South and mainland Middle America , but has been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania and the Caribbean , as well as northern Australia . It is a member of the genus Rhinella , but was formerly in the genus Bufo , which includes many different true toad species found throughout Central and South America . The cane toad is a prolific breeder ; females lay single @-@ clump spawns with thousands of eggs . Its reproductive success is partly because of opportunistic feeding : it has a diet , unusual among anurans , of both dead and living matter . Adults average 10 – 15 cm ( 3 @.@ 9 – 5 @.@ 9 in ) in length ; the largest recorded specimen had a <unk> @-@ vent length of 24 cm ( 9 @.@ 4 in ) . 
