DENDROBATIDAE - A Toxic Amphibian

COLOR SERVES AS AN INDICATOR:

Yes people,the color of the poison arrow frogs serves as an indicator for other species that its secretions are toxic.The Poison Arrow frogs are also called as Dart frogs.They are brightly colored toxic amphibians which comes under the family DENDROBATIDAE,which stays as its Scientific name. Nowadays in most of the countries like Japan,China etc dishes made of frogs plays a major part in their food culture.But this dart frogs are the species which serves as a warning to potential predators that this frog is harmful to eat with their bright coloration.The blue color of this species of Poison arrow frogs can range from a powder blue to a cobalt or sapphire blue and also it has black spots in its skin. The toxins of this dart frogs are concentrated in its skin but these are not one of the three or four species that are thought to be dangerous to humans.Dart frogs can be widely seen in the countries like Colombia,Brazil,Venezuela,Panama,Costa Rica and exclusively in southern part of Surinam and Guyana.The Dart frogs can be seen widely in the tropical rain forest regions. These dart frogs are small species and it is very rare to see a dart frog which is more than 4 cm long.These frogs prefers to stay in a dark and moist environment.The poison, secreted by poison arrow frogs, is an adaptive feature and a great survival tactic.The frog's poison is secreted through the skin and even a lick can sometimes prove fatal.Dart frogs have about 200 micro grams of poison in their systems and they use only 2 micro grams in the bloodstream to kill a predator.But now this blue poison arrow frog is at risk in the wild due to habitat loss.