Golden Poison Frog

The golden poison frog is the largest of the poison dart frogs and also the most lethal, infact it is known to be one of the most poisonous creatures on land. The toxins are not actually produced by the frogs themselves, they are ingested by the frogs when they eat certain types of native insects which is then secreted through their skin glands.

The golden poison frog is only active during the day. It hunts insects using its long tongue to strike and pull the prey to its mouth, These frogs have virtually no natural predators, as other animals know to keep well clear. There is only one known snake, the Liophis, that can tolerate its toxin, but it is not completely immune.

They breed twice a year and large groups of frogs will compete for breeding space. They lay their eggs on the ground beneath leaves. Once the eggs hatch the tadpoles stick themselves to the back of their parents who will then carry the young up into the canopy where they will look for small pool of water to leave them in where they will be much safer while they are growing,

Would you believe that some people actually keep these as pets? It's not such a crazy idea though as the frogs incredible toxicity in the wild is not present in domestic frogs, this is because their poison is created from eating insects that only exist in the South American rainforest. Typical garden crickets and flies will not allow the frogs to replicate their toxins in captivity.

Dangerous Fact:
It is estimated that the average poison golden frog (living in the wild) contains enough poison to kill 10-20 humans and up to 10,000 mice.

 

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