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Are Toads Poisonous to Humans?

All toads have lumps on the back of their heads, these lumps are known as paratoid glands that produce a chemical substance. In some toads what this means is that it makes them taste horrible to the predator that is trying to eat it. A few species on every continent however have been known to produce highly toxic substances that can be harmful to humans. They secrete the substance in self defense.

The skin of the adult cane toad is toxic. This particular species of toad also has paratoid glands located behind the eyes and others across its back. When these toads feel threatened, their glands secrete a milky white fluid known as bufotoxin. Components of this toxin are poisonous to many animals and it is true that there have even been human deaths due to the consumption of these toads.

Bufotenin is classified as a class 1 drug under Australian law right alongside drugs such as heroin. It is though that the effects of bufotenin are similar to that of mild poisoning: the stimulation which includes mild hallucinations that last for less than an hour. All stages of a cane toad’s life cycle are toxic. The poison produced by its glands act dangerously upon the heart. Quite a few humans have died in countries around the world from consuming the creature in toad soup or from consuming boiled toad eggs. A cane toad responds to threat by turning on its side so that its paratoid glands are directed towards its predator. The poison then usually oozes out of the glands, however these toads can also squirt a fine spray of it for a short distance if they are handled roughly. The poison is then absorbed through mucous membranes such as the eyes, mouth, and nose. In humans this toxin has been known to cause intense pain, temporary blindness and inflammation.

These toads are poisonous to pets and several dogs have been known to die after ingesting the toads. Signs of poisoning include profuse salivation, twitching, vomiting, shallow breating, collapse of the hind limbs, etc. Cardiac arrest and death can even occur within a mere 15 minutes or so after ingesting the toad.

First aid treatment for this type of situation includes washing the infected area with a lot of water. Seeking medical attention if the symptoms persist is crucial. When handling any toad, it is a good rule of thumb to always protect the eyes, wear gloves, and thoroughly wash your hands before and after touching the animal.

Comments

  1. Well mine is still a tadpole so I don’t know what it’s going to turn into but hopefully not a toad I would hope it would just be a regular frog. I will try to see what he or she is and let y’all know what know what it turns into.

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  5. In 1991 I survived a run in with a Bufo Toad while living in South Florida. I was trying to rescue it from my swimming pool. Let me just say, not a very pleasant experience as I had no idea what I was dealing with at the time. I reached into the shallow end of the pool and picked it up with my bare hands. ( Not a good idea! ) It secreted that white milky toxin all over my hands and because our skin is like a sponge it absorbed straight into my blood stream. I walked about 10 feet holding the huge frog intending to put it safely by a tree. I walked another 20 feet to my back door and Wham! I was really sick and very dizzy! My mouth suddenly tasted like metal. I sat on my porch steps and passed out. When I came to I had the worst headache ever.

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    • Your skin is not like a sponge, it is literally the opposite. Does your bath water soak into your bloodstream too? Do you get drunk if you dip your hand in beer? You can have a systemic reaction from getting something toxic on your skin but it is most certainly not because your skin has absorbed it and magically transported it to your blood.

      I’m glad, because otherwise the makeup on my face would have got into my blood when I saw your comment and face palmed.

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  6. I live in the jungles of Panama. Last night, I carried 1 of our Gatos outside, turned around & stepped lightly on a Cane Toad (dark, didn’t have my headlamp on). Ventured into the house, picked up phone-to take a picture & figured I had stuck my hand in guano/likely pee on the door. Severe stomach pain, epigastrum to pelvis, sorely distended~4hr. Headache. ¿toxin?

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  7. Visiting in mountains near mainland coast of Gulf of Nicoya, CR….. Twelve dogs here and vigilant for Bufos….. Let the dogs out after dinner feeding and was a fat Bufo right there at the door…… May sound cruel, but with our precious dogs’ welfare in mind I picked up the dog trowel on end of half a broomstick and started whacking him, meaning to stun him so I could toss him off the hill into the tall grass…….. Well, was hunched over whacking away when I watched a tiny droplet of liquid splash up and right into my left eye…… Hmmmm…… Scraped stunned toad into dustpan and tossed him and headed to bathroom and washed out eye…… No big deal….. was tiny little bit, I thought…….. Decided to forget about it and got interested in my own dinner, but wait a minute…. Uh oh….. Yeah…. getting numb under my left eye, that side of my face, and my left upper and lower jaw…. Starting to feel a little like novacaine at the dentist office…….. Was trying not to get too anxious about it and then, but thought a little tight and tingly in back of neck…. Or was I getting paranoid…?? Wait, how toxic are these little f*ckers?? …….Well the numbness subsided pretty quick…. just a few minutes and it was waning…… ….Like I say, was just a tiny little droplet…… But all the same, don’t think I’m gonna be splashing around sparring with any more cane toads up here……..

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  8. I don’t think you wanted to write ‘shallow breating’, or was that the effect of the bufotoxin? Just saying!

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  10. Unlike frogs that can sometimes leap great distances, toads only hop a short distance, and it’s more of a hop than a leap. These toads had more roundish bodies than frogs, whose bodies tend to be more elongated. We once had a huge infestation of tiny toads around our house. I stood and watched them hop up the gravel slopes. They were blackish in color, and I never handled any. That was years ago, and I haven’t seen them since. I have no idea where they came from, and they were gone almost as quickly as they had appeared. Just thought this would be interesting to share. I have found little green frogs in my garden, but no more toads.

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  12. I just saw a Cane Toad in one of my plant pots. I prodded him away with a long paint pole. My question is should I need to wear gloves when repotting the plant? I didn’t see any fluid from the toad or in the spot where the toad laid. Now how do I get rid of the toad?

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