Through experimentation and curve fitting, Kearney et al. (2008) developed the following model for the hopping speed, S (km/h), of the cane toad as a function of its core body temperature, Tb (°C), from 15 °C to 35 °C:
Core body temperature is directly proportional to air temperature, and the two temperatures are almost equal on rainy nights. Moreover, the scientists estimated the proportion of time a toad moves as having a median of 3.84% and interquartile (middle) range of 1.4% to 6.8%. They assumed activity is limited only by temperature and not rainfall. Their analysis predicted foraging rates generally less than 1 gill throughout the present range. Assuming that a diet of crickets has 69% water content, they also predicted that toads would need to drink more than 1 L/yr in cooler areas and 10 lJyr in and northern regions. Incorporating these findings from Kearney et al., develop a grid-based individual-based model of the spread of toads.