The National Park Service is reminding the public to avoid handling Sonoran Desert toads because of the toxins they secrete.
In an Oct. 31 post on Facebook that featured a photo of a Sonoran Desert toad at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona, the park service described the toad as “toad-ally terrifying.”
“Hey there! Here is the ‘ribbiting’ late night content no one asked for. Yet here we are," National Park Service said on Facebook. "The Sonoran desert toad (Bufo alvarius), also known as the Colorado river toad, is one of the largest toads found in North America, measuring nearly 7 inches (18 cm)."
According to the post, the toad makes a sound described as a "weak, low-pitched toot, lasting less than a second." NPS also reminded the public the toad secretes a potent toxin from its salivary glands.
“It can make you sick if you handle the frog or get the poison in your mouth,” the Facebook post said. “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. Thank you."
The Colorado river toad usually is found “from Central Arizona to southwestern New Mexico and Sinaloa, Mexico,” the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum’s website said. The toad entered southeastern California, but no one’s seen it there since the 1970s.
NBC News reported the toad’s psychedelic effect is attractive to some people
“People have exploited the toad's toxin as psychedelic, smoking it to experience euphoria and hallucinations, according to the Oakland Zoo,” NBC News reported.
Some people dry the toad’s psychoactive secretions into crystals that they smoke with a pipe, Insider said.
“The relevant psychoactive substance, 5-MeO-DMT, is illegal in the US and designated a Schedule 1 substance, but that hasn't stopped it from accruing fans. The substance, which is closely related to DMT, is typically called Five or Bufo, but has also been referred to as the ‘God molecule,’” Insider said. “Like other psychedelic substances that are being increasingly embraced for therapeutic purposes, 5-MeO-DMT has been used by some as medicine or in church rituals. One Navy SEAL and combat veteran told the Times smoking the toad's secretions was the only thing that helped his depression and anxiety.”
