Golden poison frog

For other uses, see Golden poison frog (disambiguation). the defensive toxins in P. terribilis.

The golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis),[3] also

known as the golden frog, golden poison arrow frog,
or golden dart frog, is a poison dart frog endemic to the
Pacific coast of Colombia. The optimal habitat of P. ter-
ribilis is the rainforest with high rain rates (5 m or more
per year), altitudes between 100 and 200 m, temperatures
of at least 26°C, and relative humidity of 80–90%. In the
wild, P. terribilis is a social animal, living in groups of
up to six individuals; however, captive P. terribilis spec-
imens can live in much larger groups. These frogs are
often considered innocuous due to their small size and P. terribilis
bright colours, but wild frogs are lethally toxic.[4]
The average dose carried will vary between locations, and
consequent local diet, but the average wild P. terribilis
1 Distribution and habitat is generally estimated to contain about one milligram of
poison, enough to kill about 10,000 mice. This estimate
The golden poison frog is endemic to humid forests of will vary in turn, but most agree this dose is enough to kill
the Pacific coast of Colombia in the Cauca and Valle del between 10 and 20 humans, which correlates to up to two
Cauca Departments.[5] Its range is less than 5,000 square African bull elephants.[8] This is roughly 15,000 humans
km. It is only known from primary forest. The eggs are per gram.
laid on the ground; the males transport the tadpoles to This extraordinarily lethal poison is very rare.
permanent pools.[1] Batrachotoxin is only found[9] in three poisonous
frogs from Colombia (genus Phyllobates) and three poi-
sonous birds from Papua New Guinea: Pitohui dichrous,
Pitohui kirhocephalus, and Ifrita kowaldi. Other related
2 Poison toxins, histrionicotoxin and pumiliotoxin, are found in
frog species from the genus Dendrobates.[10]
The golden poison frog’s skin is densely coated in an
The golden poison frog, like most other poisonous frogs,
alkaloid toxin, one of a number of poisons common
to dart frogs (batrachotoxins). This poison prevents its stores its poison in skin glands. Due to their poison,
the frogs taste vile to predators; P. terribilis poison kills
victim’s nerves from transmitting impulses, leaving the
muscles in an inactive state of contraction. This can lead whatever eats it, except for one snake species, Liophis
epinephelus. This snake is resistant to the frog’s poison,
to heart failure or fibrillation. Some native people use this
poison to hunt by coating darts with the frog’s poison. Al- but is not completely immune.
kaloid batrachotoxins can be stored by frogs for years af- The poisonous frogs themselves are perhaps the only crea-
ter the frog is deprived of a food-based source, and such tures to be immune to this poison. Batrachotoxin attacks
toxins do not readily deteriorate, even when transferred the sodium channels of nerve cells, but the frog has spe-
to another surface.[6][7] cial sodium channels the poison cannot harm.
The golden poison frog is not venomous, but poisonous: Since easily purchased foods are not rich in the alkaloids
venomous animals have a delivery method for the toxin, required to produce batrachotoxins, captive frogs do not
such as fangs or spines, while poisonous animals and produce toxins and they eventually lose their toxicity in
plants do not have a delivery method and rely on trans- captivity. In fact, many hobbyists and herpetologists have
ference of the toxin, typically by, but not limited to, in- reported that most dart frogs will not consume ants at all
gestion. Like most poison dart frogs, P. terribilis uses poi- in captivity, though ants constitute the larger portion of
son only as a self-defense mechanism and not for killing their diets in the wild, likely due to the unavailability of
prey. The most venomous animal, in terms of LD50, is the natural prey species of ants to captive frog keepers.
the inland taipan, although its venom is less potent than Though all poison frogs lose their toxicity when deprived

1
2 4 FEEDING

of certain foods, and captive-bred golden poison frogs are captivity. The name “mint green” is actually rather mis-
born harmless, a wild-caught poison frog can retain alka- leading, as the frogs of this morph can be metallic green,
loids for years. It is not clear which prey species sup- pale green, or white.
plies the potent alkaloid that gives golden poison frogs
their exceptionally high levels of toxicity, or whether the
frogs modify another available toxin to produce a more 3.2 Yellow
efficient variant, as do some of the frogs from the genus
Dendrobates. The yellow morph is the reason it has the common name
golden poison dart frog. Yellow P. terribilis specimens are
Thus, the high toxicity of P. terribilis appears to be due to found in Quebrada Guangui, Colombia. These frogs can
the consumption of small insects or other arthropods, and be pale yellow to deep, golden yellow in colour. A frog
one of these may truly be the most poisonous creature on sold under the name “gold terribilis” was once believed
Earth.[8] Scientists have suggested the crucial insect may to be a deeper yellow P. terribilis. However, genetic tests
be a small beetle from the family Melyridae. At least one have proven these frogs to be uniform-coloured morphs
species of these beetles produces the same toxin found of Phyllobates bicolor.
in P. terribilis. Their relatives in Colombian rainforests
could be the source of the batrachotoxins found in the
highly toxic Phyllobates frogs of that region.[11] 3.3 Orange
While not as common as the other two morphs, orange
examples of P. terribilis exist in Colombia, as well. They
3 Description tend to be a metallic orange or yellow-orange in colour,
with varying intensity.
P. terribilis is the largest species of poison dart frog, and
can reach a size of 55 mm as adults, with females typically
being larger than males. Like all poison dart frogs, the 4 Feeding
adults are brightly coloured, but they lack the dark spots
present in many other dendrobatids. The frog’s colour
pattern is aposematic (which is a warning pigmentation to
warn predators of its toxicity). The frog has tiny adhesive
disks on its toes, which aid climbing of plants. It also has a
bone plate in the lower jaw, which gives it the appearance
of having teeth, a distinctive feature not observed in the
other species of Phyllobates. The frog is normally diurnal.
P. terribilis occurs in three different colour varieties or
morphs:

3.1 Mint green

Captive subadult specimen

The main natural sources of food of P. terribilis are the

ants in the genera Brachymyrmex and Paratrechina, but
many kinds of insects and other small invertebrates can be
eaten, specifically termites and beetles, which can easily
be found on the rainforest floor. This frog is considered
the most voracious of the dendrobatids.[12]
Mint green morph In captivity, the frog is fed with Drosophila fruit flies,
cochineals, crickets (Gryllidae), the larvae of various in-
The largest morph of P. terribilis exists in the La Brea sects, and other small, live, invertebrate foods. An adult
area of Colombia, and is the most common form seen in frog can eat food items much larger in relation to its size
 3

than most other dendrobatids. Tadpoles feed on algae, The eggs are fertilized externally.
mosquito larvae, and other edible material that may be P. terribilis frogs are dedicated parents. The golden poi-
present in their nursery. Unlike other Phyllobates spp., P. son frogs lay their eggs on the ground, hidden beneath
terribilis tadpoles are somewhat versatile feeders. leaf litter. Once the tadpoles emerge from their eggs, they
stick themselves to the mucus on the backs of their par-
ents. The adult frogs carry their young into the canopy,
5 Poison frog and the indigenous depositing them in the pools of water that accumulate in
the centre of bromeliads and water-filled tree holes. The
people tadpoles feed on algae and mosquito larvae in their nurs-
ery. After metamorphosis is complete, parent frogs lead
P. terribilis is a very important frog to the local indigenous the froglets to an existing group.
cultures, such as the Choco Emberá people in Colombia’s
rainforest. The frog is the main source of the poison in
the darts used by the natives to hunt their food.
7 Captive care
The Emberá people carefully expose the frog to the heat
of a fire, and the frog exudes small amounts of poisonous
fluid. The tips of arrows and darts are soaked in the fluid, See also: History of dendrobatid frogkeeping
and keep their deadly effect for over two years.[12] Like the other poison dart frogs, P. terribilis is harm-

6 Behavior
P. terribilis is considered to be one of the most intelli-
gent anurans. Like all poison dart frogs, captives can rec-
ognize human caregivers after exposure of a few weeks.
They are also extremely successful tongue hunters, us-
ing their long, adhesive tongues to catch food, and almost
never miss a strike. This success at tongue-hunting im-
plies better brainpower and resolution of eyesight than
some other frogs.
Golden poison frogs are social animals. Wild specimens
typically live in groups of four to seven (average six); cap-
P. terribilis in captivity
tive frogs can be kept in groups of 10 or even 15, although
groups that rise past that number are extremely suscepti-
ble to aggression and disease. Like all poison dart frogs, less when raised away from its natural food source. They
they are rarely aggressive towards members of their own are a popular rainforest vivarium subject, and are some-
species; however, occasional minor squabbles may occur what easier to feed than some other dart frogs. Larger
between members of the group. Being immune to their species of fruit flies, small crickets, waxworms, small
own poison, golden poison frogs interact constantly with mealworms, termites, and phoenix worms can be used if
each other. They communicate not only with their calls, supplemented with calcium and other minerals. The tem-
but also with gestures. Push-up movements are a sign of perature should be in the low to mid 20s (°C). They are
dominance, while lowered heads seem to signal submis- sensitive to high heat and suffer from a condition called
sion. “wasting syndrome” if overheated for too long. They re-
quire high humidity, as they come from one of the world’s
Like all members of the genera Phyllobates, Dendrobates, most humid rainforests. The Cali Zoo has a captive pop-
and Ranitomeya, family groups of golden poison dart ulation of over 50 individuals. They are fed with crickets
frogs assemble into large breeding gatherings once or and share a habitat with several species of Colombian tree
twice per year. While peaceful towards others of their frogs.
species at other times, the male frogs can be formidably
aggressive while competing for a breeding space. Fe-
males will remain fairly calm throughout this ordeal.
Courtship for the golden poison frog is similar to that of 8 References
the green and black poison dart frog. Its call consists of
a rapid series of high-pitched squeaks. Golden poison [1] Wilmar Bolívar, Stefan Lötters (2004). "Phyllobates ter-
frogs are notable for demonstrating tactile courtship dur- ribilis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version
ing reproduction, each partner stroking its mate’s head, 2014.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature.
back, flanks, and cloacal areas prior to egg deposition. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
4 9 EXTERNAL LINKS

[2] Myers, C.W., Daly, J.W. & B. Malkin (1978). “A danger-

ously toxic new frog (Phyllobates) used by Embera Indians
of western Colombia with discussion of blowgun fabrica-
tion and dart poisoning” (PDF). Bulletin of the American
Museum of Natural History 161: 307–366.

[3] Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Phyllobates terribilis Myers,

Daly, and Malkin, 1978”. Amphibian Species of the
World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Mu-
seum of Natural History. Retrieved 6 September 2014.

[4] Dart poison frogs and their toxins The ASA Newsletter
1999

[5] Acosta-Galvis, A.R. (2014). "Phyllobates terribilis Myers,

Daly, & Malkin, 1978”. Lista de los Anfibios de Colombia
V.03.2014. www.batrachia.com. Retrieved 6 September
2014.

[6] ADW: Phyllobates terribilis: Information

[7] WonderQuest: Most poisonous animal, Contentious

ethanol debate, Do fish sleep?

[8] Most poisonous creature on earth could be a mystery in-

sect

[9] http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/batrachotoxin/batrah.
htm

[10] Daly, J.W. & Witkop, B. 1971. Chemistry and pharma-

cology of frog venoms. In Venomous animals and their
venoms. Vol II. New York: Academic Press

[11] Most poisonous creature update: mystery solved

[12] Atlas Dr. Pez :: Phyllobates terribilis

9 External links
• The True Poison-Dart Frog: The Golden Poison
Frog Phyllobates terribilis
• Beetle May Be Source of Frog’s Poison

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/
amphibians/golden-poison-dart-frog/
 5

10 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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