Poison Dart Frog

Lore & Background

Toxicity is not born; it is earned. In the wild, these frogs produce deadly alkaloid batrachotoxins in their skin glands as a defense against predators. Batrachotoxin is found only in three poisonous frogs from Colombia (all genus Phyllobates), a few birds from Papua New Guinea, and four Papuan beetles of the genus Choresine in the family Melyridae. Golden poison frogs appear to rely on the consumption of small insects or other arthropods to synthesize batrachotoxin; frogs kept in captivity fed on commercially available feeder insects will eventually lose their toxicity, and frogs bred in captivity are considered non-toxic. Scientists have suggested the crucial prey item may be a small beetle from the family Melyridae. The Emberá people carefully expose the frog to the heat of a fire, and the frog exudes small amounts of poisonous fluid. The tips of arrows and darts are soaked in the fluid, and remain deadly for two years or longer.

In Their Own Story

The golden poison frog is the largest species of the poison dart frog family, and can reach a weight of nearly 30 grams with a length of 6 cm as adults. Females are typically larger than males. The adults are brightly colored, while juvenile frogs have mostly black bodies with two golden-yellow stripes along their backs. The black fades as they mature, and at around 18 weeks of age the frog is fully colored. Despite their common name, golden poison frogs occur in four main color varieties or morphs: yellow, mint green, orange, and orange blackfoot. The yellow morph is the reason Phyllobates terribilis has the common name golden poison frog. The orange blackfoot morph is a captive-bred line established by Tesoros de Colombia, a Colombian company that aims to reduce poaching of wild dart frogs by breeding rare species and flooding the pet trade with low-cost animals to decrease the value of wild specimens to poachers.

Reader's Guide

The golden poison frog is endemic to humid forests of the Pacific coast of Colombia in the Cauca and Valle del Cauca Departments in the Chocó Rainforest. The optimal habitat of this species is the rainforest with high rain rates (5 m or more per year), altitudes from sea level to 200 m elevation, temperatures of at least 26 °C, and relative humidity of 80–90%. Its range is less than 5,000 square km; destruction of this habitat has contributed to P. terribilis becoming an endangered species. The frog is normally diurnal; golden poison frogs live evenly spaced without forming larger congregations. This species is an unspecialized ambush hunter; an adult frog can eat food items much larger in relation to its size than most other dendrobatids. The main natural sources of food of P. terribilis are the ants in the genera Brachymyrmex and Paratrechina, but many kinds of insects and other small invertebrates are eaten. Tadpoles feed on algae, mosquito larvae, and other edible material that may be present in their environment.

Did You Know?

• The golden poison frog is considered to be the most poisonous extant animal species on the planet.
• The average wild golden poison frog is generally estimated to contain about one milligram of poison, enough to kill between 10 and 20 humans, or up to two African bull elephants.
• The snake species Leimadophis epinephelus has shown resistance to several frog toxins including batrachotoxin, and has been observed to eat juvenile frogs without ill effects.
• Captive specimens raised without their natural food sources are non-toxic in captivity.
• The Emberá people use the frog as the main source of poison in darts; darts remain deadly for two years or longer.