Poison Dart Frog: A Curious Bunch

Considered earth’s most poisonous species— aka the baddest kiddos around— they got their name form the indigenous Emberá people of Colombia who used their venom in blowgun darts. How poisonous you ask? The golden poison dart frog can kill 20,000 mice— talk about pest control. If we are talking people and not mice, one frog can kill 10 humans. Talk about a cognito assassin! Let’s be honest, they are too colorful to be stealth.

There are a whole bunch of different kinds poison dart frogs, so brace yourself for their psychedelic patterns when you go google them later.

In case you were curious, these rainbow buddies aren’t just all for inclusivity, their colors signal to predators that they are poisonous—aka not a dinner you will live to talk about with your friends.

Bad at small talk? Just start the debate on where they get their poison—plants versus beatles. Scientists aren’t entirely sure what makes them poisonous. Some say it’s the bugs they eat, some say it’s the plants, but they haven’t found the exact cause yet. Oddly, when developed in captivity they lose their poison if they stay off their normal diet.

#theplotthickens

If having a baby is hard, imagine carrying up to the top of the empire state building. These frog moms carry their tadpole babes up to higher parts of the tree to keep them safe.

These pernicious little amphibians travel in groups called an “army”. I don’t know about you, but I think that title is a smidgen intimidating. Did a whole bunch of them attack a scientist or something? I feel like google really needed to give me some more background on that. Anywho, hope you learned a thing.