NEWS YOU CAN USE? Your Election News Break for the Day: Don’t Lick the Toads.

Well that’s toad-ally terrifying….

Hey there! Here is the “ribbiting” late night content no one asked for. Yet here we are. The Sonoran desert toad (Bufo alvarius), also known as the Colorado river toad, is one of the largest toads found in North America, measuring nearly 7 inches (18 cm).

What sound does it make? Its call has been described as a “weak, low-pitched toot, lasting less than a second.” Was that the toad or did something startle you?

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. 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. Thank you.

I know this doesn’t need to be said to Insta-readers, but at a minimum, practice safe licking. As Dave Barry says, “I’d like to remind all my readers, especially you impressionable young people, that if you must lick a toad, make sure it’s wearing a condom. Thank you.”