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Charles Zidar
ANCIENT MAYA ZOOLOGICAL RESEARCH |
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| Family: | Bufonidae | | Genus: | Bufo | | Species: | spp. | | Authority: | Varies | | Common Name: | Toad | | Maya Name: | -
Muuch
Bees, Besmuch | | Faunal Type: | Reptile/Amphibian | | Depictions: | Ceramics | | Significance: | Marine toad bufotenin (poison) may have been used as a hallucinogen. Many bowls were carved in the shape of toads or were decorated with toads. An alcoholic drink (chicha) may have been made with toads. Toad skeletons have been found in burials at the Late Classic site of Seibal and the Postclassic site of Mayapan. Widely represented animal in ancient Maya iconography.
Toads were affiliated with woman and are often seen on women’s ceremonial robes (Pohl 1981). | | Notes: | B. californicus - Arroyo Toad - Camp, 1915
B. valliceps - Gulf Coast Toad - Wiegmann, 1833
B. marinus - Marine Toad - Linnaeus, 1758 | | Photos: | Click on an image below for high resolution comparison. |
Other Faunal Photos: Additional views of the faunal species, click on a photo below to view larger image. |  | | Artifact Photo(s) Courtesy of Justin Kerr (FAMSI); Animal Photo(s) Courtesy of Wikipedia GNU General Public License Version 1.2, November 2002; Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0/2.5 License(s). |
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