Yes, wild poison dart frogs are poisonous, some of them dangerously so. But they don’t make their poison themselves. They get it from the ants, mites and other small arthropods they eat, so poison dart frogs bred in captivity on ordinary feeder insects aren’t toxic. The most dangerous species, the golden poison frog of Colombia, carries enough toxin to kill 10 to 20 people.
Here’s where the poison comes from and what else makes these frogs remarkable.
What are poison dart frogs? #
Poison dart frogs are the family Dendrobatidae, about 200 species in 16 genera native to tropical Central and South America, including Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador. Most are tiny. According to Wikipedia’s poison dart frog article, some adults are under 1.5 cm (0.6 inches) long, and the biggest reach about 6 cm (2.4 inches).
They’re famous for their colors: electric blue, strawberry red, yellow with black bands. Those colors are a warning. Biologists call it aposematism: bright coloring that tells predators the animal is dangerous or bad to eat.
Where does a poison dart frog’s poison come from? #
From their food. Dart frogs take up alkaloid chemicals from arthropod prey such as ants, centipedes and mites and store them in their skin. The frogs don’t synthesize the poisons themselves, which is why toxicity depends so much on what they eat in the wild.
That has a surprising result: captive-bred dart frogs raised on fruit flies and crickets lack the toxins. It’s also why zoos and hobbyists can keep them safely.
How poisonous is the golden poison frog? #
The golden poison frog, Phyllobates terribilis, is the most toxic species. It lives only in the Pacific coast rainforests of Colombia, and at about 6 cm long it’s also one of the largest dart frogs.
Its skin contains batrachotoxin, one of the most potent natural toxins known. According to Wikipedia’s golden poison frog article, a single wild frog carries about a milligram of poison, enough to kill between 10 and 20 humans. The species is listed as Endangered by the IUCN, mainly because of habitat loss, and its range covers less than 5,000 square kilometers.
Were poison dart frogs really used on darts? #
A few were, but far fewer than the name suggests. Of more than 170 species, only four have been documented as a source of dart poison. The best known is the golden poison frog, which the Emberá people of Colombia have traditionally used to poison blowgun darts. The toxin on a dart can stay effective for more than two years.
Most species in the family were never used this way. “Poison dart frog” became the whole family’s common name because of the famous few.
Is it dangerous to touch a poison dart frog? #
A wild one, potentially yes, and there’s no good reason to try. The toxins are in the skin and can get into cuts or be carried to your mouth or eyes. If you see one in the wild, look without handling it. Handling is stressful for the frog as well.
Captive-bred dart frogs sold in the pet trade aren’t toxic, but they’re small and fragile and still shouldn’t be handled much.
How do poison dart frogs care for their young? #
Unusually well for frogs. When the tadpoles hatch, an adult carries them one at a time to suitable water, often the small pools that collect inside bromeliad plants up in the trees. Each tadpole gets its own little pool, away from the fish and insects in bigger bodies of water.
That kind of parental care is rare among frogs, and it’s one reason dart frogs are so widely studied.
How long do poison dart frogs live? #
In the wild, one to three years for many species. In captivity they typically live much longer, and some have been reported to reach 25 years.
Why are poison dart frogs so colorful? #
The colors are a warning to predators. An animal that tries to eat a toxic frog has a bad experience and learns to avoid that pattern, so bright colors protect the whole population.
Not every brightly colored frog is toxic, though. The red-eyed tree frog uses bright colors to startle predators, and it isn’t poisonous. And glass frogs went the other way: instead of standing out, they’re partly see-through.
Is there a poison dart frog in Frog Pond? #
There is. In Frog Pond, a cozy idle game about growing a frog colony, the Poison Dart is the sixth of eight worker tiers: “Tiny but mighty. The pond’s self-appointed sheriff.” It arrives at Pond Level 11 and brings the Pond Guardian ability, which lets each Poison Dart fill event meters six times as fast as another frog, so herons and algae blooms get cleared quickly. Our Frog Pond events guide shows how much difference a squad of them makes.
Frequently asked questions #
Are all poison dart frogs deadly? #
No. Toxicity varies a lot by species and by diet. A few, like the golden poison frog, are dangerous to people. Many others are much less toxic, and captive-bred frogs aren’t toxic at all.
Can a poison dart frog kill you? #
A wild golden poison frog carries enough toxin to kill 10 to 20 people. The simple rule is never to handle wild dart frogs.
Why aren’t pet poison dart frogs poisonous? #
Their poison comes from specific wild prey like certain ants and mites. Captive frogs eat feeder insects that lack those chemicals, so they never build up the toxins.
Where do poison dart frogs live? #
In tropical rainforests of Central and South America, in countries including Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil. The golden poison frog is found only on Colombia’s Pacific coast.