National Park Service warns about licking psychedelic toads

• The National Park Service has told people not to lick Sonoran desert toads.
• The amphibians have glands that secrete a toxin that can make you sick if handled or bitten.

Some people might be tempted to give a Sonoran Desert toad a kiss, but the National Park Service told people to stay away from the potentially dangerous amphibians.

Last week, the agency told people on Facebook not to lick toads if they come across them. It’s not clear what happened to cause the advisory, but the National Park Service wrote, “Here we are.”

“These toads have prominent parotoid glands that secrete a potent toxin,” the post said. “It can make you sick if you handle the frog or get the poison in your mouth.”

It might seem strange that someone would want to lick an amphibian outside of a fairy tale, but a report from The New York Times this year says that this particular toad has been in high demand.

According to the Oakland Zoo, people have smoked toad poison to experience pleasure and hallucinations.

The toxin is a way for the toad to protect itself, and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum says it can kill other animals, even dogs.

Take a look:

The Sonoran Desert toad, often called the Colorado River toad, is one of the largest toads in North America, measuring 7 inches long.

Robert Villa, president of the Tucson Herpetological Society, told The Times that humans removing toads from their habitats may lead to extinction.

One of the toad’s skin compounds, bufotenin, is forbidden in California, however, in Arizona, one can lawfully capture up to 10 toads with a licence.

The zoo warned that people who want to catch toads to smoke their poisons could still be charged with a crime.

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