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Article written by: bio_man on May 6, 2018



Title: Poison dart frog
Written by: bio_man on May 6, 2018

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The poison dart frog is the common name given to the most poisonous animals on Earth.

Native to Central and South America, these species of frogs (family: Dendrobatidae) produce several lethal toxins that are capable of killing a human or other large animal with just 2 micrograms (μg). In other words, one drop of their venom could be powerful enough to kill 8000 people.

The most toxic of poison dart frog species is Phyllobates terribilis. Unlike snakes, dart frogs do not synthesize their poisons, but sequester the chemicals they consume from arthropod prey, such as ants, centipedes and mites. This is why in captivity, they produce far less poison than wild frogs due to their change in diet. What makes these frogs immune to their own poison is that it cannot interact with the frogs' own acetylcholine receptors; it has evolved over time to prevent this from happening.

Interestingly, they are called "dart frogs" because Amerindians use their toxic secretions to poison the tips of their blow-darts. They keep their poison in their skins and will sicken or kill anything that touches them.