Last Fall, the National Park Service (NPS) posted on their Facebook page “Don’t Lick this Toad” and included a creepy picture of the Sonoran Desert Toad. “As we say with most things you come across in a national park, whether it be a banana slug, unfamiliar mushroom, or a large toad with glowing eyes in the dead of night, please refrain from licking,” the NPS said in their Facebook post that has now gone viral. The post was made humorously and the NPS has no records of people licking or otherwise harassing the toads in parks, however, the National Poison Control Center says that licking the toads for their alleged psychedelic effects was a fad in the 1980s.
The Sonoran Desert Toad (Bufo alvarius), also called Colorado River toad, are found primarily in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Mexico, though their range extends into New Mexico and California. They “have prominent parotid glands that secrete a potent toxin,” according to the NPS. The parotid glands are located just behind the toad’s eyes. The problem is that some people have discovered that the toad’s toxic secretions contain a powerful hallucinogenic known as 5-MeO-DMT.
Species Could Become Endangered
Some individuals have decided that they can capture toads and collect their secretions to “self-medicate”, however, scientists are now warning that the demand for the toad’s secretions could lead to population collapse. Due to the rising popularity in collecting this toad, compounded with other threats such as motorists running over them, and predators such as raccoons eating them, New Mexico has listed the species as “threatened” and that collecting them is unlawful. The process of “milking” where collectors rub the toads under their chin to cause it to secrete the poison causes stress and can harm them. In a 2022 New York Times interview, Robert Villa, current president of the Tucson Herpetological Society said, “There’s a perception of abundance, but when you begin to remove large numbers of a species, their numbers are going to collapse like a house of cards at some point.”
Caution to Pet Owners
I live in the Sonoran Desert, and I’ve known friends who said that their dog got very sick from these toads. Animals that have gone after the toad generally are intoxicated through the mouth, nose, or eyes. Dog owners need to be aware as the toxins are strong enough to kill full grown dogs that pick up or mouth the toads. Symptoms of intoxication are excessive salivation, irregular heartbeat and gait, and pawing at the mouth. If a dog displays any of these symptoms, rinse its mouth with a garden hose from back to front and consult a veterinarian.
Don’t Harass Any Wildlife
Even though the NPS Facebook post was supposed to be humorous, people have “harassed” the Sonoran Desert Toad for their own “trip” or monetary gain. Any type of wildlife should not be treated as such.
