Poison Dart Frog

A poison dart frog is a small, brightly colored frog native to the rainforests of Central and South America. They are known for their vibrant skin, which serves as a warning of their powerful venom.

Poison dart frogs are small, typically less than 2 inches in length. Their skin is smooth and brightly colored with patterns of yellow, red, blue, or green. This vivid coloration is an example of aposematism, or warning coloration, which signals to predators that the frog is toxic and should be avoided.

These frogs live on the forest floor, where they feed on a diet of small insects, such as ants and mites. It is believed that the frogs' toxicity comes from their diet, as they are not poisonous when raised in captivity and fed other foods.

The skin of some poison dart frog species contains a potent alkaloid venom that can be lethal to predators. The most toxic species, the Golden Poison Frog, contains enough venom to kill an adult human. Indigenous peoples of the Amazon rainforest have historically used the frog's venom to coat the tips of their blowdarts for hunting, which is where the frog gets its name.