The golden poison dart frog is considered to be one of the most poisonous animals in the world. An average frog might contain around one milligram of poison in its skin and this small amount is thought to be capable of killing between 10 and 20 people. This bright yellow frog is found in the rainforests of Colombia.
The golden poison dart frog ingests the components of the poison through its natural diet, and secretes the poison onto its skin as a defense mechanism. Scientists are still unsure exactly which prey provides the lethal substance, but do know that captive-bred frogs without access to wild food do not produce the poison.
More about poison dart frogs:
- The golden poison dart frog is social and will live in groups of up to six in the wild.
- The poison secreted by the frogs is often used by indigenous people to poison the darts and other weapons with which they hunt their food.
- Adult frogs will carry newly-hatched tadpoles into the rainforest canopy, where they can live in pools of water that collect in tree hollows and bromeliads.