AUSTIN, TX — Biotech startup Gargantua Biosciences announced Tuesday that it has produced several giant toads by combining the genomes of every known toad species into a single animal, a milestone the company called "the most toad that has ever existed."

"For too long, toads have been small," said chief executive Brandon Vail, standing beside a glass enclosure the size of a minivan. "We asked ourselves what would happen if we combined all of them. The answer turned out to be several very large toads."

The company said it had originally hoped to produce many more toads, but the smaller ones proved impossible to keep alive, mostly because of the larger ones.

Gargantua plans to release the toads in Australia, which executives called an ideal habitat because of its warm climate and its lack of any natural predator capable of eating a toad the size of a Labrador. Asked whether Australia had any prior experience with introduced toads, Vail said the company "doesn't look backward."

Vail acknowledged that some details still need to be fleshed out, including what the toads will eat. "Very large bugs," he said, before confirming that the company's next project is very large bugs.

Investors praised the announcement, noting that the company had raised more money than any toad has ever cost.

At press time, Gargantua had announced a third project, very large birds, to deal with the bugs.