Look but do not Touch the Poison Dart Frogs

Bright colors in nature are often a signal to leave a critter well alone. If you saddle up and ride into the rain forests of Central and South America, you might find the famous poison dart frogs. They are not going to attack, but some are exceptionally deadly.

Dendrobates tinctorius credit: Wikimedia Commons / Olaf Leillinger (CC BY-SA 2.5)

You may have heard of contact poison, where toxins are absorbed through the skin. Some of these frogs, especially the golden one, are so dangerous that other critters have been poisoned by touching a place where it was earlier! Others are still deadly, and some leave a bad taste in a predator's mouth. The frogs with the strongest poisons are used by hunters who smear the darts of their blowguns on them. Interestingly, the neurotoxin is being studied to benefit humans. They are also an example of the Creator's work where they convert what they eat into a strong defense mechanism.

The family of poison dart frogs (Dendrobatidae) boasts over 245 species, displaying an astonishing array of colors and potency. The brilliant colors and patterns range from strawberry red, canary yellow, and sunny orange to metallic green and black with yellow polka-dots. When eaten, some merely taste bitter or irritate the predator’s mouth with burning or numbness; a few, however, are truly deadly, even to humans.

Despite their deadliness, these dazzling creations hold the promise of benefitting all our lives. How can this be, you ask?

To read the full article, hop on over to "Poison Dart Frogs — Drop Dead Gorgeous". For a related article, see "Puzzling Dart Frog Poison".