Colorado River Toad
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| iColorado River Toad | ||||||||||||||
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| Bufo alvarius Girard in Baird, 1859 |
The Colorado River Toad or Bufo alvarius, also known as the Sonoran Desert Toad, is a psychoactive toad found in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The skin and venom of Bufo alvarius contain 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenin.
The Colorado River Toad is carnivorous, eating small rodents, insects, and small reptiles, including other toad species; like many toads, they have a long, sticky tongue which aids them in catching prey. It lives in both desert and semi-arid areas throughout the range of its habitat. They are semi-aquatic and are often found in streams, near springs, and in canals and drainage ditches. They often make their home in rodent's burrows and are nocturnal.
The toad generally breeds in small rain pools after the summer showers start; they spend approximately one month as yellowish-brown tadpoles before moving onto the land. They grow to be up to 4-7 inches long.
The toad's primary defense system is glands that produce a mild poison, appearing as tiny lumps on the skin that are often called "warts". These parotoid glands also produce the 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenin that the toad is known for; both of these chemicals belong to the family of hallucinogenic tryptamines. The presence of these substances in the skin and venom of the toad produces psychoactive effects when smoked.
To gather these chemicals, the venom is milked from the toad's parotoid glands, a process that does not harm the toad. [citation needed] The toad takes about a month to refill its venom glands following the milking procedure, during which time the toad will not produce venom. [citation needed] The venom has frequently been used for recreational use and has been declared a sacrament by the Church of the Toad of Light in the US. This animal is commonly bred in the midwestern and southwestern areas of the U.S. and sold illegally as a pet.
As a result of extensive habitat loss and pesticide use Bufo alvarius and other amphibian species are dwindling both in population size and density.
[edit] References
- Hammerson & Santos-Barrera (2004). Bufo alvarius. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is of least concern
