The Golden Poison Dart Frog
There are over 100 poisonous frogs in the world but the most deadliest and best know of them all is the poison dart frog. The poison dart frog has been used by tribes people for hunting animals for the last few centuries, rubbing their dart tips off the frogs’ skin. The venom from one of these darts could kill a man in seconds, and each of these frogs holds enough venom to kill 10-20 men.
Image via Wikipedia
Habitat
You will find these frogs in the Amazon rainforest on the Pacific side of Columbia where the humidity is high and the air is moist all year round . Unlike other frogs they spend most of their time amongst the trees. This climate allows them to travel deep into the forests away from the river banks and indulge on the insects that lay in the trees.
Image via flickr
Description
These frogs are only one inch long and hold the venom to kill 15,000 men per gram and they are considered one or the most toxic animals on the planet. They have this venom gland to prevent predators from eating them, most animals of the jungle have learned to avoid them. The Golden Dart Frog is gold in colour but there are other species that can range from blue, red , orange, yellow, and green, they could even come in a combination of these colours. The other species can grow to a length of two ½ inches, but the Golden Dart Frog is the most toxic. These frogs can live up to be ten years old in the wild and only live around 5-8 in captivity.
Image via flickr
Diet
Their diet consists of basically what other frogs eat such as flies, crickets, termites, ants and beetles that live in the rainforests. Whatever these frogs eat is what produces the poison, the combination of other toxins from the insects that they eat, makes up this deadly venom. A poisonous Golden Poison Dart Frog in captivity would not be poisonous because it doesn’t feel threatened in its surroundings and wouldn’t be getting the same diet as it would in the wild.
Image via Wikipedia
Endangered Species
These animals have been put on the endangered species because of humans taking them from their habitat and selling them on the black market. They have also been driven out from their habitat by land expansion and deforestation. These frogs used to be the main source of survival for the tribes dating back centuries, where they allowed humans to hunt with ease. Man kind use to depend on these creatures and now we are driving them into extinction.
Scientific Uses
Scientists have discovered how to use the venom as a powerful pain killer that is used around the world in operation rooms. They are currently working on other uses such as anti-venoms for snake bites and spider bites, and many others.
Image via flickr
The Poison
Alkaloid Poison is the poison the Golden Dart Frog uses it prevents nerves from transmitting impulse. The muscle stays in a relaxed state and leads to heart failure or fibrillation causing the body to cease up. These frogs carry 1 mg of the deadly venom and can carry it around for years without using it. The amount of venom in these frogs depends on the area they live, some areas might not have some insects that make up the deadly venom.
Image via flickr
Liked it
12 Responses to “The Golden Poison Dart Frog”
On March 5, 2009 at 8:27 am
Ewwww! Warts AND poison. Keep those critters away from me.
Another informative article Stephen, and great photos of frogs.
On March 5, 2009 at 11:26 am
I knew about these frogs Stephen, but you have provided a lot of interesting information.
On March 5, 2009 at 11:31 am
I stumbled this for you Stephen. If you are interested, my stumble id is w3496c.
On March 5, 2009 at 2:19 pm
westbrook beat me to stumbling it.. but I liked the article, very informative..
On March 5, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Hi Stephen, thank you for the information. I have a few books about frogs myself and they are very interesting animals.
On March 5, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Great article and so full of info. They are really colorful frogs too!
On March 5, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Nice one! I didn’t realize that their diet was what made them poisonous. You write great animal articles, but I think this one tops the list!
On March 5, 2009 at 5:20 pm
These little guys are cute, but beware.Nice piece
On March 5, 2009 at 6:34 pm
I think frogs are so sweet even poison ones.
On March 5, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Frogs disappearing is like canary in the coalmines of global enviro-calamity. Protect these vibrant critters at all cost, I say! Nice pics and write – can’t wait for more stuff . j
On March 6, 2009 at 5:02 am
oh my… tanks for the info, anyway, im sure we dont have that kind of frogs here
On April 20, 2009 at 1:27 pm
i like golden dart frogs the best
Post Comment