Amphibians · Anura · Bufonidae

Sonoran Desert Toad

Incilius alvarius

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The Sonoran Desert toad, or Colorado River toad, is an amphibian of the family Bufonidae. There is a contemporary and increasingly popular neo-shamanic practice of vaporising and smoking the bufotoxins found in the toad's skin secretions, known as "toad venom". It has been argued that human exploitation of this species is contributing to the decline of its population.

Size

11 cm – 19 cm

Lifespan

20 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

DesertCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Amphibian Desert

2countries 9parks7same family

Fun facts

Its skin secretion contains a powerful psychoactive compound, and the fashion for smoking it has led to the capture and harassment of thousands of animals in the south-western United States and Mexico, to the point that national parks have had to issue public notices asking people to leave the toads alone.
It spends up to nine months of the year buried, and emerges en masse on the night of the first heavy monsoon storm: the entire breeding effort of the species is concentrated into a few nights a year.
Its tadpoles complete their metamorphosis in little over a month, a race against the evaporation of the desert's temporary pools.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
Habitat & environment: Sonoran and Mojave deserts, creosote scrub and plains with seasonal pools
Sexual maturity: 3 years
Gestation / incubation: Larval development in temporary monsoon pools
Litter / clutch size: 7750

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incilius_alvarius