A reptile showdown in the top end is ending in a win for cane toads; the pest species is decimating dwarf freshwater crocodile populations in northern Australia.

Researchers have found a David and Goliath situation may have become more like Gulliver’s Travels, as crocodiles looking for a new meal have had their dining cut short by cane toad poison.

Charles Darwin University's Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods has studied the effects of the toad on the smallest crocodile species found in northern Australia's upstream escarpments.

Cane toads have provided dwarf crocodiles with a plentiful but deadly dinner, says Senior Research Associate Dr Adam Britton, “We already know that cane toads kill freshwater crocodiles, but we were concerned that cane toads might have a major impact on dwarf populations because of their small size and lack of alternative food sources,” he said, “we found dead crocodiles and cane toad carcasses with crocodile bite marks.”

Nature always finds a way, however, and these crocs are no exception; researchers have found some are cheating death by only eating the plump back legs of toads, which contain no poison.