The potentially deadly Sonoran Desert toad, also known as the Colorado River toad, secretes a toxin that can harm humans and some say has psychedelic effects. In a Facebook post, the agency warned people to “avoid licking” the amphibians, which can be up to seven inches long and have “glowing eyes.” “As we say with most things you encounter in a national park, whether it’s a banana slug, an unknown mushroom or a large toad with glowing eyes in the night, don’t lick it,” the agency wrote. The agency released a photo of one of the toads captured by a motion sensor camera looking into the lens at the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona. According to the Oakland Zoo, some people have taken advantage of the toad’s toxin as a psychedelic, smoking it to experience euphoria and hallucinations. He added that one of the chemicals found in the toad’s skin, bufotenin, is illegal to possess in California, but in neighboring Arizona, one can legally catch up to 10 toads with the proper permit. Toxins from the frog can also kill an adult dog.
