cane toads

[richie.b]

A toxic toad gets licked, boiled, teed up and tanned

Plump, greenish-yellow and pebbly in texture, it is not much to look at. It can be nuisance, too, poisoning dogs and squishing noisily under automobile tires. But Bufo Marinus, also known as the cane toad, has become an international celebrity of late, inspiring drug-war hysteria in the U.S. and trade talks in the Far East. Here is its tale, warts and all.

In one experiment, researchers injected bufotenine into four inmates of an Ohio prison. The prisoners experienced hallucinatory effects "reminiscent of LSD and mescaline" as well as nausea and chest pains, the scientists reported in the May 18, 1956, issue of Science. The investigators also observed that "if the color of an eggplant were diluted, it would approximate the unique purple hue of the faces of the subjects." These side effects, Szara says, discouraged further studies of bufotenine - of an official nature.


so was i

[Morgan Freeman]

I was righter..er...errr.

So, who's going to be the guinea pig?

[wayne the pain]

I thought these toads loose there toxicity in captivity, bit like PDF. I know thats true of Cane toads (Bufo Marinus). Lost two of my toads to one of my ferrets getting in with them and killing two withou tany ill effects what so ever, i was gutted, and the thought of loosing my ferret to, was heart renching, luckly all was ok with her.

[Alex M]

We've got a load of marinus coming in at work over the next week or 2 and i'm thinking breeding project. I've got a real problem with slugs out in the back garden so i had this brainwave and thought i'll release several thousand toadlets out there to sort it out, this could be the way forward in UK garden pest eradication.

[serpentsupplies]

yeah and eradication of everything else! lol oh well at least you'd still have cane toads!!!

[wayne the pain]

Think hedgehogs would be better for your garden and slug erradication.

[richie.b]

Originally Posted by Alex M

We've got a load of marinus coming in at work over the next week or 2 and i'm thinking breeding project. I've got a real problem with slugs out in the back garden so i had this brainwave and thought i'll release several thousand toadlets out there to sort it out, this could be the way forward in UK garden pest eradication.

do it Al what harm can it do

[Saedcantas]

The natural high that led to all this confused licking was actually dried Bufo alvarius secretions (as someone already pointed out, Colorado River Toad or Sonoran Desert Toad) that are smoked not ingested.

Identity of a New World Psychoactive Toad
by Davis, Wade, and Andrew Weil
In Ancient Mesoamerica 1992 3 (1): 51-59.
And
Bufo alvarius: A Potent Hallucinogen of Animal Origin
by Davis, Wade, and Andrew Weil
in Journal of Ethnopharmacology 1994 41 (1-2): 1-8.

Bufo marinus might give people some form of wacky feelings, but only as a result of serious poisoning, the hallucinations are merely a side effect of the nausea and sickness... Bufo alvarius however produces a different cocktail of compounds one of which is a true hallucinogen and a lower level of toxic elements such as Bufotenin.

Bufo toads and bufotenine: fact and fiction surrounding an alleged psychedelic.
Lyttle T, Goldstein D, Gartz J.
J Psychoactive Drugs. 1996;28(3):267-90.

Which toads you lick is irrelevant, you're going to get very sick before you get remotely high, which toads you dry and prep the secretions of for smoking is a different matter.

Either way the answer is Bufo alvarius.

[connor 1213]

Originally Posted by alex m

we've got a load of marinus coming in at work over the next week or 2 and i'm thinking breeding project. I've got a real problem with slugs out in the back garden so i had this brainwave and thought i'll release several thousand toadlets out there to sort it out, this could be the way forward in uk garden pest eradication.

dont!

[Alex M]

Originally Posted by richie.b

do it Al what harm can it do

I'm pleased someone noticed i was joking Richie!