Their toxins are secreted from their skin. This means that they do not inject their toxins into others, like snakes, they instead have to be consumed or licked. There are a huge variety of poison dart frogs, and not all of them are poisonous. There are over 170 species of poison dart frog. Indigenous people use just 4 species of poison dart frog, which have some of the highest toxicity of all dart frogs.Ģ.
Their toxins were placed in the tips of blow darts, giving them their name.
Indigenous peoples used their toxins to make darts. They can live up to 15 years in the wild, and longer in captivity. As amphibians, they need to be near a source of water. The majority live on the forest floor, however some like to live up in the canopy. They are found in tropical regions of Central and South America, where they inhabit humid topical forests like the Amazon. Many are colourful to show of how dangerously toxic they are, while others are plain and completely non-toxic. There are over 170 species of poison dart frogs, but not all are poisonous.
Some are bright colours (yellow, green, gold etc) while others are more dull (green, brown, black)įire-bellied snake (Leimadophis epinephelus) Their name comes from the fact that indigenous Amazonian groups use the poison from several species of the frog to make poison darts. This is a group of frogs from the family Dendrobatidae, that are well known their bright colours and highly toxic nature.
