Why are poison dart frogs important?

    Poison dart frogs show off some of the most brilliant and beautiful colours on Earth. Their colouring can be yellow, gold, copper, red, green, blue, or black, depending on where they live. There are more than 100 species of poison dart frogs, varying in colour and pattern. The black and green species have black spots, the strawberry or blue jeans frog is all red with blue legs, the yellow-banded species appears painted with yellow and black. Colour shades vary among frogs within a species. It is the skin that contains the frog’s poison.

 

The bright colouring of the poison dart frog serves as a warning to potential predators that it is one of the most poisonous animals on Earth. From tiny pores in its skin, the frog secretes a defensive toxin, which could easily kill, if injected into a human or other animal. In fact, the five centimeter long golden poison dart frog has enough venom to kill 10 grown men!

 Many of the toxins secreted from the skin of the poison dart frog have unique effects on nerves and muscles. For this reason, frog toxins have become important tools in biomedical research, aimed at better understanding and treatment of neurological and muscular disorders. So someday, your life may literally be saved by a frog!