The most dangerous frogs in the world are found in the Artic. The poison dart frog is a dendrobatidae frog whose native range lies largely within Central and South America.
The Poison dart frog is the deadliest frog in the world.

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Colombia is a transcontinental country that cuts across both South America and an insular region of North America. It is one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries and has the second-highest level of biodiversity in the world. And so, although there is a large number of living things in the nation, very few of them are as deadly as the poison dart frog.
The poison dart frog is the common name of a group of frogs that are native to tropical Central and South America. Although they are brightly colored, this is just a signal to predators that they are not worth eating. They are named poison dart frogs since Native Americans use their secretions to poison the tip of their darts and arrows.

Most species of poison dart frogs are very small. Just about the size of a paper clip. Hardly do they average greater than an inch in size. However, there are some species that go beyond this.

When it comes to location, poison dart frogs are endemic to humid and tropical environments of Central and South America. They typically stay in tropical rainforests. Although Colombia is the country most associated with them, they can also be found in Bolivia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana, Peru, Panama, Guyana, and Nicaragua. They can also be found in Hawaii, although they were artificially introduced and are not indigenous to the state.

There are more than a hundred species of poison dart frog in existence. Some estimates place the exact figure at 170 species. It’s very difficult to find actual population figures or even rough estimates for all of these species. Nevertheless, it is known that most of them are endangered due to habitat loss, chytrid diseases, and collection for the pet trade.
The first and the last of these factors aren’t anything that other animals are unused to facing. However, the second, chytrid diseases, are infectious fungal diseases unique to amphibians. Luckily, humans, other mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, and invertebrates are not affected by this disease.

Poison dart frogs are largely carnivorous. Adults typically feed on small insects like ants and termites which they find on the forest floor. They capture their prey by using their sticky, retractable tongues.
Some species, like the tri-colored poison frog, are carnivorous to the point of cannibalism. In addition to insect larvae, they eat other tadpoles too.
Tadpoles of most species are highly omnivorous, though. Since they have a lot of growing up to do, they can’t be too picky with the food they choose to eat. Their meals range from algae to detritus to insect larvae to dead insects. Sometimes, females lay unfertilized eggs in a tadpole pond for the young to happily feast on.

These frogs usually mate by external fertilization. The female first lays the eggs, which are then fertilized by the male. The interesting thing about these frogs is that they are dedicated parents. The moment eggs hatch into tadpoles, the adult frogs stick them to their backs using mucous and then carry them into the rainforest canopy.

The main thing that makes these creatures dangerous is their poison. Many poison dart frogs secrete lipophilic alkaloid toxins through their skin. This serves as protection against predation. Some species are more toxic than others. This discrepancy is caused by genetics. Other than that, as we mentioned earlier, the diet of these creatures is an environmental factor that can affect the amount and potency of their toxins.
Because poison dart frog species vary in the make-up of their toxins, they have different effects on predators. Let’s make a case study of batrachotoxin. It is highly neurotoxic and is the most dangerous toxin that any species of poison dart frog can make. When a predator consumes a frog that makes this toxin, the secreted batrachotoxin goes to work, attacking the nervous system and causing convulsions, muscle contractions, salivation, and even death. The toxin is released through colorless or milky secretions from glands located on the back and behind the ears of the frogs.

Would you dare touching the Poison Dart Frog?

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