| The reason why someone may want Bufo Alvarius | | | | colored undercarriage. It is remarkable for the large, |
| toads may surprise you. It is to milk them. Perhaps | | | | unique oval to sausage-shaped glands on the upper |
| the idea of milking a toad may seem like a joke. You | | | | sides of its arms and legs and on its neck. These are |
| may even have already thought that the punch line | | | | the glands that are milked for their venom. |
| to the "how do you milk a toad?" joke would be | | | | A nocturnal amphibian, Bufo Alvarius spends most of |
| "First you get a very small stool." But you may be | | | | the day under the ground and away from the bright |
| assured this is no joke. People actually do milk Bufo | | | | sun and high temperatures of the Sonoran Desert. As |
| Alvarius toads. | | | | darkness falls, they move outside and hang around |
| What is toad venom used for? The milky white | | | | moist areas near rivers and irrigation ditches. The |
| venom of the Bufo Alvarius toad contains the alkaloid | | | | best time to find them is during the breeding season, |
| 5- methoxy- N,N- dimethyltryptamine (5-MEO-DMT) | | | | from May through July. Toad hunters should equip |
| which has very powerful hallucinogenic properties. | | | | themselves with a cloth carrying sack and a good |
| Although there have been rumors and urban legends | | | | flashlight. |
| about people licking toads to get high, those who use | | | | For someone who is interested in owning a Bufo |
| toad venom do not actually ingest it. Rather, they | | | | Alvarius toad, whether for the purpose of milking its |
| have been known to dry the venom and then | | | | hallucinogenic venom or simply to have a fascinating |
| smoke precisely measured quantities of it. | | | | and unusual pet, there is an alternative to making a |
| How do you get one of these remarkable toads? If | | | | trek to the Sonoran Desert and splashing around |
| you live in or wish to visit the southwest United | | | | irrigation ditches with a flashlight after dark. That |
| States, the toad, known both as the Colorado River | | | | option is to purchase one, or perhaps a male and |
| toad and the Sonoran Desert toad, is found mainly in | | | | female pair of adult Colorado River toads. One |
| the Sonoran Desert. Their known range reaches from | | | | company that offers these toads for sale, along with |
| the south east of California into lowland Arizona and | | | | other ethnobotanical products, is Bounding Bear |
| extreme southwestern New Mexico, at elevations | | | | Botanicals. The company is based in Lawrence, |
| that vary from sea level all the way up to over 1500 | | | | Kansas, not the Sonoran Desert, but they have a |
| meters. | | | | convenient on-line system that allows customers to |
| Once you get to this area, you will want to know | | | | make purchases via the Internet. It should be noted |
| what to look for. The Bufo Alvarius is a large toad, | | | | that Bufo Alvarius toads are sold with the caution |
| the largest species native to North America. Their | | | | that they are poisonous, and should be kept away |
| leathery skin coloration varies from olive brown to | | | | from children and animals. |
| black, with warts colored pale orange and a beige | | | | |