The Sonoran Desert toad is facing a new threat due to the booming interest in the psychedelic compound that the toad excretes from its skin. The U.S. National Park Service recently sent out a message on Facebook asking visitors to “refrain from licking” the toad, commonly called Bufo alvarius. This message came months after a New York Times article covered the “poaching, over-harvesting and illegal trafficking” that have accompanied the interest in the toad’s secretions. For decades, people have been collecting the secretions, drying them, and smoking them to experience the effects of the compound within, 5-MeO-DMT, which can cause auditory and visual hallucinations. The drug’s growing popularity could be bad news for toad populations, as collecting large numbers of toads increases the risk of disease transmission and relocation outside of their home territory, which decreases their chances of survival. Science News urges readers to leave the Sonoran Desert toad alone and instead explore other amazing animals that may have psychedelic potential. Join us on a tour, by land and sea, of some of the world’s mind-altering fauna.
2023-05-14 07:00:00
Link from www.sciencenews.org
Other animals besides the Sonoran Desert toad have the ability to change your state of mind.
