Incilius alvarius
(Girard, 1859)
Pinal Co., Arizona. July 31, 2000.
After landing in Phoenix one August evening, we took a less traveled route to Tucson, to get in some road cruising. This toad was one of our first finds, and I was amazed at how big they were – it’s one thing to read about them or see a picture, and quite another thing to pick one up and heft it in your hand. Note the pair of large poison glands behind the eye and running over the ear – these glands are why this is a species that “toad -lickers” lick! Yes indeed, some folks will lick alvarius for the hallucinogenic effects, and alternatively, smoke the dried skins. Some less intelligent humans aren’t sure which species is the correct toad to lick, and so they lick any toad, and missing out on the visions, have to settle for simple poisoning and discomfort.
My Flickr album for this species is here.
HerpMapper records for this species are here.
