Exploding Toads Baffle Scientists

More than 1,000 toads have puffed up and exploded in a Hamburg pond in recent weeks, and German scientists have no explanation for what's causing the combustion.

Both the pond's water and body parts of the toads have been tested, but scientists have been unable to find a bacteria or virus that would cause the toads to swell up and pop. The toads at a pond in the upscale neighborhood of Altona have been blowing up since the beginning of April, filling up like balloons to three times their normal size until their stomachs suddenly burst. The toads' entrails are propelled for up to a meter (3.2 ft). Scientists are baffled, although one researcher claims that the explosions may be due to a puncture in the toads’ bellies from crows trying to eat the toads’ livers. The Institute for Hygiene and the Environment said that tests will continue, but in the meantime, city residents should stay away from the pond.

BBC News, 4/27/2005