For most frogs, the best defense is to stay hidden. Other frogs will try to beat a hasty retreat. Shows of intimidation can also give predators pause. The tomato frog of Madagascar puffs itself up like a balloon, making itself appear too big to swallow. For some frogs, the ace up the sleeve is poison.
All frogs have poison glands in their skin.
In most cases, these toxins aren't strong enough to discourage predators. But certain frogs in Central and South America have especially strong poisons in their skin. These frogs are called poison dart frogs, because native people used the poison from their skins on the tips of hunting arrows and blowdarts. There are about 170 different kinds of poison dart frogs. The most poisonous is the golden poison frog, each of which contains enough poison to kill eight people.