Exploding toads confuse scientists

Friday, April 29, 2005

Scientists in Hamburg, Germany are baffled by what appears to be a widespread case of "Exploding toads". In a local pond, more than 1,000 toads have expanded and then exploded. In addition, it has been reported that thousands more are exploding in central Denmark, in a town called Låsby located in Mid-Jutland.

The water in the pond has been checked, but does not indicate anything out of the ordinary. Neither do the toad's corpses. They have been checked for bacteria and viruses, but none have been found.

One German scientist is theorizing that the toads are being terrorized by {{w:crow|crows}} who attempt to peck at the toads' livers. When the crows go for the livers, the toads puff up as a defense mechanism. Since there is a hole in the toad's body caused by the pecking crow, the entrails and blood explode out of the hole.

German tabloids have taken to calling the pond, "the death pool" and "the pond of death".

Sources

"TOAD UPDATE: Toads Exploding In Denmark, Too" — Free Internet Press, April 27, 2005
AP. "*POP* go the toads, and nobody knows why" — Michigan Star-Tribune, April 28, 2005
Matt Surman. "Exploding toads may have been pecked by birds for their livers, veterinarian says" — SignonSanDiego.com, April 28, 2005

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Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

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Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.