Ｔoad and clam licker

 

Ｔoad and clam licker

 

Agudengba continued to tell the story about the toad to the coachman Azhuo.

Agudengba told the coachman Azhuo:

In ancient European folklore, toads have always been associated with witches' potions. Medieval Europeans even believed that toads could cure the Black Death, and the toxicity of toads was the most important factor that gave them this image. There are sparse warts of varying sizes on the skin on the back of the toad. The largest pair of warts are located in the postauricular gland above the tympanic membrane on the head side. These large and small bumps are the sebaceous glands of toads. Not only do these warts make toads look extremely ugly, but they can also scare off some creatures, including humans. At the same time, the white venom secreted by these warts contains a variety of alkaloids and other toxins.

Toads secrete large amounts of venom when they are stressed, and the venom is enough to kill snakes, turtles, fish and other natural predators. For example, the bufadienol compounds in toad venom are similar to digitalis and can excite the vagus nerve, directly affect the myocardium, and cause arrhythmia; catecholamine compounds can cause vasoconstriction; 5-methoxydimethyltryptamine and toad poison chromin Amine can cause hallucinations and abnormal behavior in animals. Therefore, when a natural enemy swallows a toad, it means eating the "last supper."

On the other hand, toad venom can cure diseases. Modern medical research has found that the main components of toad venom include sterols, toad alkaloids, desacetylated cinobufonin, toadadienol compounds (including toad toxins and toad ligands), 5-methoxydimethyltryptamine and toad venom. Toxin, catecholamine compounds, etc., some of which have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, local anesthetic, cardiotonic, antitussive and expectorant effects. Toad venom, toad skin, toad tongue, and toad liver, which are made from the toxins secreted by toads and body organs, are all traditional Chinese medicines. They are widely used in the clinical treatment of tumors, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and have irreplaceable effects.

Agudemba told the coachman Adhuo an anecdote about the cane toad in Australia:

In Australia, the poisonous nature of cane toads is causing a lot of trouble, and neither humans nor other animals seem to be able to do anything about it. Cane toads have become one of Australia's most troublesome invasive species. The reason for this situation begins nearly a century ago.

Australia has large areas of sugarcane cultivation, and sugarcane beetles often cause sugarcane harvest failures. It has been discovered that toads are large eaters of beetles, but they are not found in Australia. Sugarcane is also grown in Puerto Rico in South America, but cane toads are found there and can help eliminate sugarcane beetles.

In 1935, Australian researchers bought 102 cane toads from Hawaii, bred them artificially, and released them into sugar cane fields when the number reached 62,000. People were full of expectations, but after waiting for a year, the number of beetles in the sugar cane fields had not decreased. It turns out that sugarcane beetles in Australia mainly live in the soil at the roots of sugarcane, and toads cannot eat them at all. The sugarcane beetle in Puerto Rico mainly lives on the surface of sugarcane, where toads can both see and eat it.

With few natural enemies and no human intervention, cane toads began to multiply in Australia, where food was abundant. Because its base camp is in the sugar cane forest, the Australian cane toad is also called the cane toad. In 2000, researchers estimated that the number of toads in Australia had reached 1.5 billion, making them a typical invasive species. Due to the excessive number of cane toads, the numbers of local pythons, crocodiles, and quolls are all declining. The reason is that these animals are poisoned and die after preying on the toads. Now the toads have caused a significant decline in the number of quolls in Australia and become an endangered species.

Agudemba continued to tell the coachman Adhuo anecdotal stories about Australian cane toads and "clam licking dogs":

What’s even more unexpected is that the toxicity of cane toads has turned Australian dogs into “addicts.” The 5-methoxydimethyltryptamine and bufoxin in toad venom have hallucinogenic effects. Although the toxin is in trace amounts, its hallucinogenic intensity is 30 times that of morphine.

When a dog licks and sucks the toad and stimulates it, the white liquid secreted by the toad will make the dog extremely excited. So whether it is a wild dog or a domestic pet dog, they start searching for toads as soon as they go out. After licking and sucking the toad, the dog will get an ecstasy of pleasure, its eyes will be blurred, and it will keep running around in the yard, spinning and jumping, doing somersaults, and then falling asleep. People call these dogs "clam lickers."

Like human drug abuse, the lifespan of "clam licking dogs" will be greatly shortened by this behavior. As a result, there are pet detoxification centers in Australia specially prepared for "clam licking dogs". Employees at a pet detoxification center smeared mustard on fake toads, causing dogs to feel burning pain when they licked them. But while this works for some dogs, for others, the addiction returns as soon as they get out of rehab, and they start catching and licking toads again.

To protect native wildlife, WWF Australia has been working since 2011 to train native species to recognize and avoid the smell of cane toads. People put poisonous sausages containing toad meat into lizards, crocodiles, etc. These poisonous sausages will make the toad's natural enemies sick but not kill them. People hope to use this method to help animals identify toads and stay away from them.

And smart animals are also looking for solutions on their own. Some birds and rodents in Queensland are said to have learned how to safely kill and eat cane toads. Some water rats, for example, have figured out how to kill cane toads with "surgical precision," peeling off their poisonous skin and eating only their non-toxic internal organs.

While toads are overrun in some countries, their numbers and species are declining in the wild worldwide due to environmental changes and increasing human demand. Protecting wild toads requires a variety of measures. First, it is strictly forbidden to catch and eat toads indiscriminately. Second, toads must not be killed or harmed when preparing toad drugs. Third, the habitat environment of toads is protected from pesticide harm. Fourth, medicinal animals are used to breed toads. , to meet the needs of the pharmaceutical market.

Agudengba said to the carriage driver A Zhuo: Maybe you are curious about the stories of cane toads and clam-licking dogs. In fact, the most amazing thing is the Chinese legend of the three-legged toad. All the toads in our lives have four legs. Why do the toads sculpted and painted by the Chinese only have three legs?

Agudemba sang a song called "Clam-Licking Dog":

 

Dogs like to lick toads.

Hence the name clam licking dog.

The reason behind it is strange,

But it's for excitement.

 

Dogs are born foodies.

Whether fruit or meat,

Go back and forth in search of food,

Even the stones must be smelled,

Something big happened to an Australian dog,

Frequent belly turning,

Lying on the ground and closing his eyes,

The tongue hangs out.

 

His expression showed pleasure,

In fact, his mind is no longer clear.

Just because I licked a big toad,

A dog licking a toad is like taking drugs.

 

Toads have venom on them,

adrenaline dopamine,

Contains hallucinogenic and addictive properties,

Dogs can become addicted after licking.

 

The fluid secreted from the toad's body,

It's very toxic and will choke your throat.

If you overdose, you will foam at the mouth.

Death from arrhythmic arrest.

 

The hallucinogenic feeling is addictive,

Dogs have uncontrollable desires.

I advise you not to be a clam-licking dog.

Laughing at the toad as a drunken god.