Poison Frog

Family Dendrobatidae

Amphibian

Transcript:

Hello you and welcome to this fact file! Today we’re going to be looking at the poison frog.

Wait, what? You say as I prattle on about size information or something: what is a poison frog? Do you mean poison dart frog? Yes, in fact, I do, but that’s only a small slice of the cake and what’s even more interesting is by the end of this video you might consider a “poison” “dart” “frog” just a silly little frog with a lot of potential.

Poison frogs are found in central and South American tropical forests. They tend to live on the forest floor although a few species do live in the forest canopy. Because they are amphibians and need to remain relatively moist, they stay near sources of water such as creeks and ponds. Unlike most frog species, they are actually diurnal meaning they’re more active during the day. This is important to note because it’s actually part of the reason they have evolved to broadcast such an array of colors. What purpose would those colors serve if no one could see them? Here are some examples of just how many variants there are. There are around 170 known species which means plenty of potential for colors and patterns.

What’s more, these colors are a major reason poison frogs have become a widely owned pet species. Yes, even you could could potentially have your own death machine right in comfort of your home (accordingtoyourlocalpetordiances). No I’m totally kidding. Nearly all poison frogs that are kept as pets are actually not poisonous. WHAT?! Yep! The toxicity of a poison frog depends solely on what they eat. Owned frogs are usually fed crickets, mealworms, frog pellets, etc. but wild frogs have access to some crazy things. Those crazy things are what make the frogs poisonous. Insects that are toxic themselves such as centipedes, millipedes, beetles and ants are all on the wild poison frog’s menu and the toxins of those insects are transferred to the frog. Without the toxic bugs, there can’t be toxic frogs. Wild frogs that are captured and kept can even lose all their toxicity over time!

In the wild, poison frogs can live up to 15 years and in captivity they can live even longer. Their only known predator is a snake that is immune to their poison. The snake’s name is displayed on screen and I’m not going to even try to embarrass myself by saying that. When it comes to mating, the females are actually more competitive than the males. Eggs are laid on leaves or in safe places in the undergrowth of the forest in clutches of 1 to 30 (depending on the species).

Once the eggs are ready to hatch, a lot of poison frog parents will carry the tiny tadpoles on their back to the nearest water source. Some mothers will return to feed the tadpoles unfertilized eggs in order to pass on the poison so to speak. I think one of my favorite pieces of information I came across about these creatures is that some mothers, depending on the species, will even separate each baby into a different water source and bring them eggs individually because if she didn’t, territorial instinct might take over and the little ones may end up eating each other. Talk about motherly love!

Poison frogs are tiny. They only grow to be a maximum of 1.5 inches long. But don’t let that size fool you, the most lethal of the poison frogs, the golden poison frog, is potent enough to kill ten full grown men. This frog is actually one of the three species used by the indigenous people of Colombia to tip the projectiles of their bow darts. Ah, are you seeing the connection? Poison frogs are commonly called poison dart frogs because they serve this purpose. But it’s like I said, only three species out of over 150 are used in this way, that’s why it’s far more appropriate to call them poison frogs. However, I feel I must point out, there are also poisonous frogs that are not part of the “poison frog” family to which I’m referring. The Pickerel frog - which is the only poisonous frog that can be found in North America - is no relation to quote “poison frogs” end quote. Sometimes science just isn’t very organized with naming.

Recently, research of poison frogs has led to the discovery of a painkiller that is up to 200 times more effective than morphine without the side effects. Other uses of the frog’s secretions could include help for people with certain heart or circulatory conditions as well as muscle relaxants. Thankfully, I feel I should note, most species of poison frogs are thriving and are placed on the “least threatened” list.

For more information on the poison frog, feel free to browse through my citations in the description below. Let me know which animal you’d like to see next in the comment. Thank you for watching and please like and subscribe for more Animal Fact Files!