Toads galore

Swallow a toad in the morning and you will encounter nothing more disgusting the rest of the day.

Nicolas Chamfort. French writer. 1741-1794.

Almost certainly true, but not to be recommended! As any dog will tell you, eating a toad is a pretty dreadful and memorable experience, one not to be repeated.

The problem is that toads are equipped with a pair of parotid poison glands lying behind the eyes on their neck. When the toad feels threatened, or is attacked, the glands secrete copious quantities of a milky looking liquid that contains a cocktail of powerful and very poisonous toxins.

If you look through the magnifying glass then you will be able to clearly see one of the poison glands on the toad on the right.