- I'm Coyote Peterson.
This is a cane toad.
He's extremely toxic, and tonight,
I'm gonna show you where he keeps his poison.
(bear growls)
(exciting adventure music)
(bear growls)
Look at that toad.
Totally toxic.
And totally right next to my face.
You may be wondering,
"Coyote, are you in any sort of danger right there?"
Not unless I plan on eating this toad.
Now a lot of you have written in,
asking about these amphibians.
Especially if you live here in South Florida,
where they are an invasive species.
Where is the poison in a toad actually kept?
Is it in the toad's skin?
Is it in his blood?
If a toad bites me, is that how the poison's
gonna get into my body?
Well a toad isn't going to bite anybody.
But you know who might bite a toad?
Your pet, and that's who we have to worry about.
So where is that poison located?
It's actually in the parathyroid gland.
You see that large bump right behind the eye there?
That is where all the poison is stored.
So this gland contains a white, sticky subustance
with a very powerful toxin in it.
Let's say this toad is out there,
minding his own business,
and your dog or cat comes up and thinks,
"Hey, that looks like something fun to play with."
If your dog or cat starts batting this toad around,
what he will do is puff up his body,
and then those glands will swell
and they'll start to secrete the toxin.
Now let's talk about the danger of this poison.
It's extremely toxic.
If you get it in your eyes or in your mouth,
you're going to get really sick.
But what's even more dangerous
is for animals out there in the wild.
Whether it's your pet or just a natural animal
in the environment.
If it comes in and eats this animal,
it can get so sick, it may die.
What I want to do tonight is gently squeeze
those parathyroid glands to show you
what this toxin looks like.
To do this though, I want to be extra careful.
It can shoot out at points in time,
and I don't want it to get into my eyes,
or into my mouth.
So what I'm gonna do is wear
this really fashionable pair of safety glasses,
and also put a latex glove on the hand
I'm going to use to squeeze the parathyroid gland.
Alright, I think we're all set.
- [Voiceover] Wait a second.
- What?
(voiceover mumbles)
You're behind a camera.
You're gonna be just fine.
- [Voiceover] Okay.
- Yeah, trust me.
- [Voiceover] You sure?
- Yeah, it's not gonna like shoot out in a stream.
It's gonna be just little white dots
that come out from these pores.
- [Voiceover] I've heard this looks a little bit
like a zit actually, not to be gross,
but that's what I've heard. - [Coyote] Yeah it's kinda like
popping a zit, but not as in like
it's gonna hurt the toad in any way.
This is gonna cause absolutely no harm to this animal,
and they're constantly producing this poison,
so he's gonna be just fine.
Alright, we ready?
I gotta keep my mouth closed,
so I'm not gonna talk during this part.
Ready?
One, two, three.
Erghh, ugh, look at that!
I guess it does shoot out.
It get on your camera lens?
- [Voiceover] Yeah.
- Jeez.
Erghh, ugh, look at that!
Whoa! Oh!
I guess it does shoot out!
Wow, look at that!
Holy cow, that is a lot of poison.
Wow, it is sticky too.
I would not want that getting in my mouth
or in my eyes.
'At could put you in the hospital for sure.
That does look just like a zit.
- [Voiceover] It really does!
- Holy cow, that is a lot of poison!
And there it is.
That sticky white substance.
That is the poison that you need to watch out for,
whether it's you or your pet.
If you live in an area that there's cane toads,
use extreme caution.
You get that in your mouth,
and you're gonna be in some serious trouble.
Well I guess now we have answered the question,
where does poison come from on a toad?
That would be the parathyroid gland.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave!
Stay wild!
We'll see you on the next adventure!
If you thought that was one wild adventure,
check out the time I got up close
with another invasive species, the Cuban Knight anole.
And don't forget, subscribe to join me and the crew
on this season of Breaking Trail.
And he's not too keen on biting.
Oh! (gasps)
No, yes he is.
Ouch.
Wow, those teeth are super sharp.
(bear growls)
(wolf howls)