My Science School

Have you ever wondered about the vibrant colours of some frogs? Did you know that their colouring is a warning to predators that they are foul-tasting and poisonous? Read on to know more fascinating facts about these amphibians.

It is small enough to fit into the palm of one's hand, but it packs a powerful punch. A single golden poison dart frog, measuring just 6 on long, contains sufficient poison to kill 10 grown humans! The frog species derives its name from the centuries-old practice of the Emberá and Chocó, indigenous peoples of Colombia and Panama, who tipped their blowgun darts with its poison while hunting.

The poison is called a batrachotoxin (some beetles and birds also have it). The word batrachos is Greek for frog'. Even minute amounts lead to paralysis and death.

Poisonous species

There are only four species of frogs that are so poisonous that even a tiny drop is enough to kill small mammals (monkeys, for example) and birds. Most of them produce poison only potent enough to kill insects-flies, crickets, ants, termites. and beetles which are their main prey.

The frogs average around 2.5 cm in length. They are found in the wild only in the tropical rainforests of South and Central America.

The frogs sport gaudy colours and patterns, usually in combination with black-orange, red, blue, yellow, purple, pink, green, and even silver! Their colouring is a warning to predators that they are foul-tasting and poisonous. Once a predator has tried eating one and survived, it avoids similar-looking frogs.

The fire-bellied snake of the Amazon forests is resistant to golden poison frog toxin and is its only predator.

The little frogs usually live in the leaf litter on the forest floor, near streams and ponds, but a few species also live high up in the canopy and may never come down. Unlike most frog species that are nocturnal, poison frogs are active during the day when their colours can be best seen.

Caring for the young

Females lay from one to 30 eggs at a time in a dark, moist place such as the base of a big leaf, the hollow of a tree trunk or crook of a branch. Both parents are involved in the care of the eggs. When the eggs hatch, the parents carry the tadpoles on their backs and deposit them in water. Blue poison frog tadpoles eat their own siblings, so the parents must find a different water body for each individual hatchling!

The female feeds the tadpoles with unfertilized eggs that contain small amounts of poison, so that even the tadpoles are protected from predation.

Researchers are studying poison frogs to see if their toxins can be used in medicines, mainly painkillers. The poison from the phantasmal poison frog has been found to be 200 times more effective than morphine and without its side-effects!

Fact File

• Wild poison frogs ingest the poison from the different bugs they eat and store it in their skin. Frogs bred in captivity lose their toxicity.
• In the past decade, hundreds of frogs have died of a fungus that grows on their skin, preventing them from absorbing oxygen and water.
• The population of the more brilliantly coloured poison frogs has plummeted because they are popular as pets.

Picture Credit : Google 

Recently, a tiger was shot dead in Bihars Champaran region, after it is said to have claimed the lives of at least nine people. Such instances of negative human-wildlife interactions are neither rare not new. In fact, they are increasing, and at an alarming rate. But, what triggers it? Is there a way to effectively manage this global concern? Let's find out.

While several reasons can be attributed to such interactions, at the heart of the problem lies human population growth. Our planet has only a finite space to be occupied or used by a growing number of humans. So, forests are constantly cleared to either house us, grow our food, or build factories to meet our lifestyle demands. Which leaves wildlife with lesser and lesser space to live. In addition, we also come up with development projects - such as building bridges or laying railway lines- that cut through natural wildlife habitats. Whatever little space they have is further fragmented, causing animals to come into close contact with humans, an extremely uncomfortable situation for both sides. Apart from this, climate change-related consequences such as floods, draught, wildfires, etc. too displace wildlife, pushing them into human habitations in search of food, water, and shelter. Curious and careless tourists venturing too close for wildlife comfort or feeding them bring about negative interactions when there exists none.

How do they affect wildlife?

The worst outcome of negative interactions is the death of the animal. The death can happen unintentionally (knocked down by vehicles) or the animal can be killed as a matter of precaution as in the case of the Bihar tiger killing or as an act of revenge by angry humans. When forest areas shrink, it gives poachers and hunters that much more access to wildlife, increasing the number of animal lives lost. If animals are injured severely, they may perish without treatment. If such animals are parents to young ones, the offspring could die too-one injury eroding an entire generation of wildlife. All these could mean the eventual loss of the species as a whole. When key species disappear, they have the potential to trigger an entire ecosystem collapse.

How do they affect humans?

As with wildlife, negative interactions could be fatal for humans too. Even in cases where it is not fatal, it can be negatively life-changing. Injuries can lead to temporary or permanent disability. In some cases, this can mean the loss of livelihood or job. In addition, the survivors might grapple with monetary deficit to foot medical bills for their treatment. Among those who both lose their jobs and tackle mounting medical bills, the pressure could spill over to the rest of the family, where young people are forced to quit their education and find a job to support the family-spelling an end to their dreams. Not in all instances are humans affected directly. Large predators could kill or injure livestock, hungry elephants could damage houses and plunder crops, etc. For a family dependent on livestock and crops for income, this could mean monetary loss, apart from a life of constant fear and the inability to leave whatever property they own. Living in a region teeming with predators could hamper the mobility of inhabitants, including children for whom it may not be safe to play outside after sunset or travel between home and school through dense forests.

How can they be handled?

One of the significant ways to avoid or tackle such interactions is to look for beneficial co-existence. Invariably, humans caught in this issue are economically weak. So, when there's loss of human or livestock life or injury, or damage of property, fair compensation to those affected may go a long way in stopping revenge killing. Regular awareness campaigns on the vital role of wildlife in this world and the need to protect them, especially endangered ones, can result in community-led conservation initiatives. Further, crops can be raised to serve as a buffer where human habitation exists on forest fringes. Technology - such as warning systems, sirens, lights, etc. to keep off animals without harm- can be put to good use. It is equally important to create clear boundaries of protected areas and have strict laws in place to prevent infrastructure development, encroachment, poaching, and hunting. More than anything, it is crucial to understand that since the nature of each issue is different, the solutions should be too.

A WIN-WIN SOLUTION

For more than two decades, Ladakh-based Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust, as the name suggests, has worked holistically towards protecting the species, its prey, and habitat. As part of this effort, it has been conducting research too. But one of its most significant initiatives is the community-based conservation.

Decades ago, when snow leopards in the region ventured into human habitation and helped themselves to livestock, an important source of income/sustenance for the villagers, some carnivores had lost their lives to revenge killing by angry humans. The Trust understood that it was important for the locals to be part of the big cat protection efforts because both humans and the wildlife shared the resources available in the region. So, the Trust helped convert many village homes to homestays that promised eager tourists a chance at spotting the elusive animal. Soon, the villagers realised a snow leopard alive was worth more than one that's dead! Today, they are active participants in the conservation programmes.

The Trust also educates adults and children on the rich biodiversity of the region, its significance, and the need to protect them, making it one of the most heart-warming conservation stories.

Picture Credit : Google 

Barriers of any kind affect movement and migration of animals. For instance, the wall could come in the way of an animal’s search for water and food nearby. It could also stop animals on their long-distance migratory paths.

When he was the U.S. President, Donald Trump set off the expansion of the border wall between the U.S. and its neighbouring country Mexico. While he's not the country's President any longer, the incomplete construction stretching miles on end stands today, silently bearing testimony to human prejudice. It divided people on both sides physically and emotionally. But it appears to have affected more than just humans as with barriers anywhere globally, it has affected wildlife too.

Wildlife has no concrete borders, created singularly by and for humans. When humans introduce these barriers, wildlife struggle, to put it mildly. It has come to light that the case is no different with the U.S.-Mexico barrier. According to Cuenca Los Ojos (CLO), a transfrontier wildlife organisation, "camera trap photos and the conservationists own observations have revealed deer, mountain lions and black bears pacing along the border wall, confused and unable to access their former ranges". "One family of boars spent five hours trying to get past the wall in search of water, according to CLO. Barriers of any kind affect movement and migration of animals. For instance, the wall could come in the way of an animal's search for water and food nearby. It could also stop animals on their long-distance migratory paths.

Apart from animals, such walls can harm birds too. When these barriers are lit up at night, it can disorient both nocturnal birds and those on their long migratory journeys. While it is easy to presume that birds can effortlessly cross such barriers in daylight, the reality is different. A few birds are low-fliers, and different types of interferences in a natural landscape can leave them trapped in one place due to their inability to fly from it. According to research conducted a few years ago on the U.S.-Mexico border, "not only large roadways but also big agricultural fields and other types of landscape disturbance and segregation" affected the movement of ferruginous pygmy owl, a low-flying bird.

Erecting walls or barriers is not new. However, with the natural world already under threat from climate change, these human structures, especially in places rich in biodiversity, are likely to put further pressure on wildlife.

Picture Credit : Google