Why are Poison dart frogs known as Jewels of the Rainforests
Nature is unbelievable and astonishing. There are millions of animals that exist on earth, the beautiful, wonderful and colourful. Some are poisonous also, one such dramatic colourful animal among the poisonous is the Poison dart frog. These frogs are the most poisonous species of animals. They belong to the family of frogs the dendrobatids. There are about 175 species of poison dart frogs.
The poison dart frog formerly known as poison arrow frog is the common name of a group of frogs native to the jungles of Central and South America. They are small and brightly coloured amphibians. These frogs are the most poisonous animals on earth. The bright colouration of the frogs depends on the toxicity of the species. Their colours range from the bright colour -red, green, orange, yellow, green, black, silver, pink, and blue. The sparkling colours are warning signals not for beauty. These frogs exhibit every colour in the rainbow and their jewel-coloured bodies can be seen during daytime and hence called the 'living jewels'.
Some frog species of Poison dart frog
Strawberry poison dart frog, Harlequin poison dart frog, Golden poison frog, Green and black poison frog, Dyeing poison dart frog, Yellow banded poison dart frog, Mimic poison dart frog, Phantas poison dart frog, Zimmer poison frog, Granular poison frog, Anthony's poison arrow frog
Some of the species of frogs exhibit bright colouration with high toxicity while others show a minimal amount of toxicity. The toxicity is obtained from the food they consume such as ants, mites, fruit flies, young crickets, tiny beetles and termites. Due to their toxicity, they have few predators. The poison is found in their skin which makes them too toxic to touch. Poison dart frogs secrete alkaloid toxins through their skins as a chemical defence against predators.
Red poison dart frog
Captive Poison dart frogs are not poisonous
An interesting fact is that those frogs that are kept in captivity are not poisonous. They become non-toxic when they don't feed on wild insects. Each frog produces different kinds of poison and some are known to be helpful for people with problems of the heart and circulatory systems. These amphibians live on trees and rocks, under leaves and on the forest floors. They exhibit vivid colours and patterns for predators indicating that they are not worth eating or for attacking.
Dart frog have well developed vocal structures that produce different kinds of sounds to attract the mates and to express distress. They produce sounds as a means of communication and they can be heard in the forests. Based on their calls the species of the frogs can be identified of their poison.
Dart frogs are so-called why
Native Americans use their toxic secretions to poison the tip of their blow darts or arrows. The tribal hunters from Colombia's Embera used to hunt birds, monkeys and other small animals using poison darts. The Choco people used to pick up the frogs using the waxy leaves and then dip the blow darts in the frog's skin secretions. The dart's poison would remain active for about one year. Dyeing poison frog was used by indigenous people to change parrot's feathers from green to red or yellow.
Dyeing poison dart frog
Extraction of the chemicals from the skin of Dart frogs have medicinal value. Extracted poison from these frogs is used to produced painkillers. Some poison frog species are toxic but not deadly. When these frogs are touched are eaten they may cause pain, stiffness, swelling, nausea, and paralysis and death.
Habitat of Poison dart frogs
Dart frogs are found in the tropical rainforests, which includes Bolivia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela Peru, Panama, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Nicaragua and Hawaii. They have long sticky tongues that darts out to capture the insects. In spite of the toxicity of the dart frog, some predators are able to withstand the toxicity. The snake Erythrolamprus epinephelus has developed immunity to the poison of the dart frog.
Reproduction in Poison dart frogs.
Many poison dart frog species are dedicated parents. They take a lot of energy to take care of their eggs and offsprings. Poison dart frogs fertilize their eggs externally that is outside the female's body. Adult female frogs lay their eggs from 1 to 30 in moist places on leaves, in plants and on roots that are exposed. The eggs are guarded by the father till they hatch. The tadpole jumps onto its parents back and is carried to the water source such as streams, ponds, bromeliad or tree holes. They slide off into the water bodies for their growth. The young ones do not look like their parents they undergo metamorphosis changing their body shape, food habits and their lifestyle. The babies develop their lungs, legs and different mouth as they get older.
Golden poison dart frog
Golden poison dart frog
The most poisonous Dart frog is the golden poison frog in the world. Golden dart frog is the largest frog and they are just 5.5 centimetres. The frog has poison stored in the gland in its skin that can kill almost ten to twenty men. It has enough toxin to kill 20,000 mice. Extraction of the chemicals from the skin of Dart frogs have medicinal value. A single golden poison can supply poison for about 30 to 50 darts. The poison extracted from these frogs is used to produced painkillers.
Poison dart frogs conservation status
Most of the frogs are 'diurnal which means active during the day. Some are active at night. The life span of the Dart frog can range from one to three years in the wild. In captivity, they live for long years. It's reported that they can live for 25 years. Due to human activities for developments, many species of frogs are threatened as their habitats are being lost. some species of Poison dart frogs are endangered in the forests due to the changes in the environment.
Due to its extraordinary colouration, the poison dart frogs are smuggled in thousands into pet shops. The blue poison frog is a very popular frog in the United States of America due to its exotic colouring. The Poison dart frogs are threatened by the loss of their rainforest habitats and by activities of pet trading. This has reduced the number of Poison dart frogs in their native habitat.
These dart frogs are also prone to chytrid fungus disease. The fungus grows on the frog's skin and suffocates them as they are unable to absorb water. The frog doesn't get enough oxygen and water which leads to their death. Frogs are very sensitive to their environment, they are indicators of climatic changes.
Poison dart frogs as Pets
People are fascinated with a variety of animals that they love to keep as pets. As Poison dart frogs are stunningly colourful animals, many people keep them as pets. They are easy to maintain and requires only very little caring and they are inexpensive to keep. Their diurnal habits allow you to enjoy their behaviours during the day time, unlike the other frogs which are active at night. These frogs do not drink water they absorb water through their skin. Dart frogs are wonderful pets to keep in the amphibian world as they display interesting interactions and study their complex breeding habits.
Comments
Post a Comment