Thepoisondartfrog(also known as the dart-poisonfrog, thepoisonfrogor formerly known as thepoisonarrowfrog)isthe common name of a group offrogsin the family Dendrobatidae whicharenative to tropical Central and South America. Poisondartfrogscanbefound in the tropicalrainforestsof Central and South America. Unlike many other amphibians,poisondartfrogsarediurnal.Poisondartfrogsareinsectivores, preferring to eat ants and other small insects that they can hunt among the leaf litter of theforestfloor.
Found mostly in the humidrainforestsof Central and South America,poisondartfrogsarefamous for their toxic skin secretions and eye-popping hues. You’ve probably heard that somefrogsarepoisonous, but not all of them come with the same level of risk. PoisonDartFrogs, Mantellas, etc.
genera Dendrobates, Phyllobates, Epipedobates, Mantella. This picturewassent to me by myfroggyfriend, Martin. The famous tropicalrainforestfrog,poisondartfrogsarebeautifully coloured as a warning sign to potential predators.
As their name suggests, theserainforestfrogscontain some of the mostpoisonousamphibians on Earth. Thepoisonousrainforestfrogs, he says, maybeonly a few centimetres in size, but when they breed, they carry their tadpoles between 200 to 300 metres across therainforestto find them the perfect puddle to grow in. Arainforestfrogpopulation grew by about 50 percent when scientists built pools for tadpoles that mimic puddles made by other animals.
No, not allrainforestfrogsarepoisonous. While some species, likepoisondartfrogs,arehighly toxic, mostrainforestfrogsareharmless.Poisondartfrogsobtain their toxins from the ants and other arthropods they eat. Somefrogsarediurnal such aspoisonfrogs, and some that live on the leaf litter tend tobeharder to spot.
Then you have the array of nocturnal species that you can find on the ground, on leaves, on epiphytic plants high on trees, or in water bodies. Poisondartfrogsraised in captivity and isolated from insects in their native habitat never developpoison. The medical research community hasbeenexploring possible medicinal uses for somepoisondartfrogpoison.
