Dart-frog
Poison dart frogs release toxins through their skins, and their brightly coloured bodies mean 'toxic' in the wild.
Poison dart frogs vary in size and colour depending on where they live. There are more than 175 different species of poison dart frog known to be inhabiting the jungles across South America.
Poison dart frogs are often known as poison arrow frogs due to the fact that the tribal peoples living close to the these frogs would use their poison to tip the ends of their arrows in. Poison dart frogs live on the ground or in the heavy foliage just above it. Poison dart frogs are carnivorous animals that survive on a diet purely made up of meat. Poison dart frogs shoot out their long, sticky tongues to catch flies, ants, insects, spiders and termites.
Due to the high toxin levels produced by the poison dart frog, it has very few predators in the wild. Many animals will become extremely sick from just licking a poison dart frog, so they won't approach them. There is only one species of snake that is known to be immune to the poison – the fire-bellied snake.
Many species of poison dart frog make devoted parents as they carry their newborn hatch-lings from ground-level to the safety of the canopy above. The eggs stick to the mucus on the back of the mother poison dart frog, while she carries it into a water-pool (in the middle of a flower) high in the trees. The female poison dart frog does this with all of her babies, and places the 'dead eggs' (ones that will not hatch) in the water for her young to eat.
Poison dart frogs vary in size and colour depending on where they live. There are more than 175 different species of poison dart frog known to be inhabiting the jungles across South America.
Poison dart frogs are often known as poison arrow frogs due to the fact that the tribal peoples living close to the these frogs would use their poison to tip the ends of their arrows in. Poison dart frogs live on the ground or in the heavy foliage just above it. Poison dart frogs are carnivorous animals that survive on a diet purely made up of meat. Poison dart frogs shoot out their long, sticky tongues to catch flies, ants, insects, spiders and termites.
Due to the high toxin levels produced by the poison dart frog, it has very few predators in the wild. Many animals will become extremely sick from just licking a poison dart frog, so they won't approach them. There is only one species of snake that is known to be immune to the poison – the fire-bellied snake.
Many species of poison dart frog make devoted parents as they carry their newborn hatch-lings from ground-level to the safety of the canopy above. The eggs stick to the mucus on the back of the mother poison dart frog, while she carries it into a water-pool (in the middle of a flower) high in the trees. The female poison dart frog does this with all of her babies, and places the 'dead eggs' (ones that will not hatch) in the water for her young to eat.