Cane toad, weighing 2.7kg, found in Conway National Park, near Airlie Beach could be world record

Rangers conducting track work in Conway National Park, near Airlie Beach, were shocked to find a monster cane toad beside the Conway Circuit last week.

Dubbed 'toadzilla', the Department of Environment believes the toad could be a world record.

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Cane toads can grow to a large size, up to 26cm and weighing 2.5kg, but specimens of this size are rare.

Ranger Kylee Gray said a snake slithering across the track forced them to stop their vehicle, and when she stepped out and looked down, she gasped when she saw the monster cane toad.

"I reached down and grabbed the cane toad and couldn't believe how big and heavy it was," Ms Gray said.

"We dubbed it Toadzilla, and quickly put it into a container so we could remove it from the wild.

"A cane toad that size will eat anything it can fit into its mouth, and that includes insects, reptiles and small mammals."

The rangers believe the giant toad is a female due to it's size, and female cane toads do grow bigger than males.

Ms Gray said when they returned to base, they were stunned to find the toad weighed in at 2.7kg, which the department believes could be a new record.

"She was found at an elevation of 393m, which isn't unusual, but she has created a lot of interest among our ranger staff due to her size," she said.

"I'm not sure how old she is, but cane toads can live up to fifteen years in the wild - so this one has been around a long time. We're pleased to have removed her from the national park."

The toad has been euthanised due to the environmental damage they cause.

Due to the significance of the find and that the toad might be the largest on record, toadzilla is expected to be put on display in the Queensland Museum in Brisbane.

James Cook University's college of science and engineering associate professor of Dr Conrad Hoskin has been researching toads in rainforests.

Dr Hoskin said toads are rare once you get up into the hills and into rainforest.

"The forest gets too cluttered and there's not really anywhere for them to breed (they don't use rainforest streams for breeding)," he told the Queensland Country Life.

"Female toads make their way into the forest (up tracks and roads) and then don't find any males to breed with.

"I think they then spend years up there, getting bigger and bigger, which is why some of these females are so huge."

Dr Hoskin confirmed 'toadzilla' was a female, due to the pattern on her back.

"These big females are an issue because they push into areas that don't usually have toads," he said.

"There they may poison rare predators (like quolls and certain snake species) and will eat anything they can fit in their mouth."