Golden Poison Dart Frog

“The golden poison dart frog is considered one of the most toxic animals on Earth.” (National Geographic) One single adult frog has enough poison to kill 10 grown men. While golden poison dart frogs are one of the largest out of the 100 species, their size is the equivalent of a paperclip. The frog itself does not create these poisons, they are secreted from the pores on the skin of the frog. Though the golden poison dart frog is poisonous it does not use this poison to hunt or kill prey, it simply uses it as a defense mechanism. It has a very interesting coloring pattern ranging between three solid aposematic colors. These three colors consist of: a dull green, a bright orange and a pale yellow.

## Breeding and First steps

   Golden poison dart frogs can breed up to two times per year. They breed in large groups and will fight over a breeding area. During this breeding time the male frogs will become very dominant and aggressive towards one another though they are unaffected by the toxins secreted from their skin. The males first go through an elaborate and complicated mating ritual of a combination of loud and high pitched calls.

Once mated the female golden poison dart frogs lay their eggs under leafs on the ground level of the rain forest. These eggs are then covered in a thick sticky substance, to prevent the decay of the eggs. Over the next two weeks of development the father will check on the eggs frequently. When the eggs hatch, tadpoles emerge and it is crucial that the male is there for them to catch a ride on his back. They hang on through a mucus secretion covering the males back which they swim onto. The adult male frogs climb up to the high canopy using very sticky adhesives that cover the toes. The male will journey to the canopy of the rainforest to find a seasonal pool of water to deposit the tadpoles in. After this treacherous journey many of the tadpoles do not survive. The ones that make it to this pool of water mainly survive on mosquito larvae, algae and infertile eggs their parents have left for them to feed on. It will take the tadpoles almost three months to metamorphosis into froglets.

## Growing up

As it grows the frog faces fewer threats than most organisms, its poisonous nature allows it to avoid most predators except for the Liophis Epinephelus, a snake that has developed an immunity to the frog’s poisons. Golden poison dart frogs are social amphibians and travel in groups of 4 - 7 individuals. When the froglets have metamorphosised the mother will introduce the new golden poison dart frogs to her group. All of the lessons that are to be learned to survive in life will be learned within this new group.

## Home

The golden poison dart frog is found in a very small range of around 5,000 square km in the very humid coastal rain forests of Columbia. The golden poison dart frog is endangered due to destruction of habitat. Since the golden poison dart frog’s poison comes from the plants and insects that it consumes, any frog raised in captivity that are isolated from their natural food sources will not develop this poison.

## Power

Power is not prevalent in the everyday life of the golden poison dart frog. The main times when it is, is during mating. During mating the male frogs will claim their mates and this can become aggressive if two males get too close to each other.