Kermit's Tropical Cousin

Not Geography Geography Lesson 12

The Small and Mighty Poison Dart Frog

I was recently reading a book of '101 Things You Need To Know', and came across today's topic, which is poison dart frogs! I never knew such a teeny tiny little thing could be so interesting, and hopefully you will agree! Here we go...

About the Poison Dart Frog

Generally, frogs are pretty boring things, but not these frogs! There are more than 100 different species of these tiny fellas, and if they could write a Tinder bio for themselves it would read something like this:

• Smaller than Donald Trump's hands - only between 0.5 and 2 inches long. 
• Loves dressing to impress - colours include bright blues, oranges, reds, greens and golden yellow, and can be spotty or stripey. 
• Restricted to warm and damp climates - naturally found in the tropical rainforests of South America, from Costa Rica to Brazil. 
• Great with kids - transports eggs and tadpoles to different areas (like pools of water in big leaves) on their backs, known as 'backpacking'.
• Handle with caution - among some of the most poisonous animals on the planet. 

Joking aside, these frogs (fancy name Dendrobatidae) are really interesting and amazing creatures, and are the epitome of 'small and mighty'. Their beautiful colourings are their way of saying "back off buddy!" to predators, because they can pack a real punch if messed around with - known as aposematic colouring. The golden dart frog is in fact the most poisonous creature in the world, and the toxins on its skin are strong enough to kill 10 grown men. Historically, native American tribes would smear their arrows with the frogs' toxins to make them evenly more deadly (because an arrow to the chest is not unpleasant enough...). Only one creature in the world can survive eating the dart frog, and that is the Leimadophis Epinephelus, which is a Fire-Bellied snake from Brazil. And even it feels super rough afterwards! 

Note, a poisonous creature is one which excretes toxins from its skin or when ingested (like our frog), whereas a venomous creature injects its toxins by biting or scratching (like a snake or spider, which are much less cute). 

One of Nature's Greatest Mysteries

Whilst the toxicity of the frogs is amazing in its own right, the origin of it is the most interesting thing about them. Because, in captivity you could hold a golden dart frog on your palm without gloves, and still make it home for tea. Maybe they could give you a little nip, but really they are totally harmless! How on God's green Earth can that be?

Well...  it is believed that they assimilate their poison from eating another creature or plant, which they can build up and then secrete when a predator comes looking for a snack. The only issue is that as of yet, no one has been able to establish what the other creature or plant is, and it is presumably even more poisonous than the frogs, which would make it the most poisonous thing in the world! Blimey. 

There are also several research projects in the medical community being conducted into our amphibian pals, because their toxin (called Batrachotoxin) is believed to have properties which could be very useful for medicines and treatments. It is a neuro-toxin, which means that it reacts with the electrical impulses which work the nervous system to kill whoever is unlucky enough to be poisoned. Scientists believe that by recreating it, they can explore how the electrical signals are conducted in the nerves to allow the heart to function and stimulate pain signals. This research could help people who have conditions impacted by faulty electrical impulses - including those who cannot feel pain at all, and who suffer constant pain in what is termed 'Man On Fire syndrome'. 

They Don't Make Big Diamonds

As a person of a smaller disposition, I feel a common bond with the dart frog, and clearly they are astounding creatures with exciting opportunities for the health of their human friends. So it is important that we keep them around. 

Sadly, over 75% of the dart frog species are classed as 'threatened' or 'critically endangered' by the World Wildlife Fund. This is due to losses of habitat in the rainforests via widespread deforestation, pollution of their habitats by pesticides used on farms nearby, infectious disease outbreaks, and smuggling of the frogs to be sold as pets. 

The poison dart frog is a triple-threat - it is super cute, very powerful, and could be the cure to some horrid human medical conditions! Unfortunately, the actions of man in its habitat is contributing to rapid declines in numbers, and could even lead to the extinction of some of its species. Hopefully conservation efforts by the WWF and the like will be successful, as the species are so valuable. I hope you enjoyed this week's topic, and have and intoxicating week!