The most poisonous animals on Earth

Poison dart frogs are a family of anuran amphibians (animals that live in and out of the water and do not have a tail) that is made up of approximately 200 species that have characteristics in common. They are also known as arrowhead frogs. Their striking and vivid colors are the highlight of these animals.

The size of the poison dart frog varies according to the species and the age of the specimen, but in general they are small compared to other amphibians. The smallest can measure 5 mm and the largest only reach 70 mm.

This type of frog is usually found in South America and Central America. One of the most recognized is the golden dart frog, which is the most poisonous specimen and lives on the Pacific coast of Colombia. The blue arrowhead frog is also another of the most striking species and is found in northern Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana.

Fun facts

• The poison dart frogs are deadly.
• They are active during the day and rest at night.
• The purpose of the attractive colors is to alert other animals that they are highly poisonous. In fact, due to its toxicity, it does not have predators and they do not have to camouflage themselves.
• They consume small arthropods, such as ants, termites, cockroaches, mites, etc. Its diet will depend on the species and the size it has.
• The dart frog does not produce its own poison, but rather acquires it from the diet. It stores toxins from ingested arthropods in its skin and these are not harmful to it.
• Captive-bred frogs do not develop poison, as long as their diet does not rely on insects in their habitat.
• Several studies have shown that the more colors the frog has and the more striking the patterns, then the greater amount of poison it has.