Not that you would, but the National Park Service is advising the public not to lick a particular species of toad.
Getting the taste of this frog in your throat can make you sick.
The NPS, writing in a Facebook post on Tuesday, warned people to use caution around the Sonoran desert toad. The amphibian is also known as the Colorado river toad, CNN reported.
“Here is the ‘ribbiting’ late-night content no one asked for. Yet here we are,” the NPS wrote. “These toads have prominent parotoid glands that secrete a potent toxin. It can make you sick if you handle the frog or get the poison in your mouth.”
The toad’s call is a “weak, low-pitched toot,” according to the NPS.
The parotid glands are located just behind the toad’s eyes, CNN reported.
So, why would someone want to lick this toad?
The substance in the toad’s toxins, when crystalized, can produce a powerful, schedule 1 psychedelic drug, WEHT-TV reported.
While people could become sick -- or high -- from the toxin, it could be fatal for animals.
Toxins from one Sonoran desert toad could kill a fully grown dog, according to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
CNN, citing the Oakland Zoo, said smoking the Sonoran desert toad’s secretions causes euphoria and strong auditory hallucinations.
So even if you believe the fairy tale that kissing a toad will transform the amphibian into a handsome prince, forget about it.
“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 wrote on Facebook. “Thank you. Toot!”
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