The National Park Service is urging hikers to stop licking psychedelic toads after they were revealed to be poisonous.
Officials have warned against touching the seven-inch Sonoran desert toad, also known as the Colorado river toad, as the animal can "paralyse or kill dogs and other predators" with its toxins.
The Amphibian is normally found in New Mexico but has been spotted in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona in recent weeks.
According to Oakland Zoo, the toad's toxins can cause hallucinations and "powerful psychoactive" reactions when smoked.
It led the National Park Service to issue a statement on October 31 pleading with people to “refrain from licking” the toads.
The park said in a statement on Facebook : "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.
"These toads have prominent parotoid glands that secrete a potent toxin. It can make you sick if you handle the front or get poison in your mouth."
The toads, which have eyes that glow in the dark, are also known to make a "weak, low-pitched toot, lasting less than a second."
According to experts, the toads can intoxicate people and animals with their skin leading to powerful psychoactive effects.
The toad's toxins can kill a dog if they were to grab hold of the animal by its mouth as well as cause irregular heartbeats and excessive saliva.
According to the Oakland Zoo, any toxins smoked from the toad can lead to euphoric highs and a "powerful psychoactive" effect including "strong auditory hallucinations."
In California, it is illegal to have possession of the toad's toxins, which are known as Bufotenin.
However, the toxins from the toads have been used to treat patients with depression and anxiety, as some people have paid between $250 (£218) to $8,500 (£7426) to smoke the toxins in Texas and Mexico.
Some of these treatments are provided in retreat centres, which claim to treat anxiety and mental health, by offering the patients the chance to smoke the toxins.
But in order for the toxins to be released the toad has to feel threatened, which will cause them to release a large amount.
The toxins are then dried and later smoked and it is thought the effects of the toxins can last for around 30 minutes.
Extracted toxins have been publicised in the past with a number of high-profile figures revealing they had used the toxins.
President Biden's son, Hunter, confirmed he used the drug, which is known as 5-MeO-DMT, as a form of addiction treatment.
In addition, the former boxer Mike Tyson has also admitted he's tried the drug.
