Gold Poison Dart Frog | Characteristics, Life Cycle, & Facts

The golden poison dart frog, sometimes called the golden poison dart or the golden poison arrow frog, is an amphibian with the scientific name Phyllobates terribilis. It is best known for its poisonous skin.

Where does Gold Poison Frog live?

The golden poison frog lives near the Pacific coast in the South American country of Colombia. Its habitat is tropical forests, where there is plenty of rain and warm temperatures. They are social animals and live in groups of 4 to 7 in the wild.

What does Gold Poison Frog eat?

What do yellow poison frogs eat more frogs eat; insects such as crickets, ants, termites, beetles and flies. They use their long tongue to catch food from a distance.

How poisonous is the Gold Poison Frog?

Gold Poison Frog’s poison is very dangerous. It has been known to kill people and in fact, there is enough poison in one frog to kill up to 10 people. Its poison is called an alkaloid poison and it is found on the skin of frogs. Just touching the frog can kill. It is so poisonous that it can kill a small animal that touches the tissue the frog has just stepped on.

What does the Gold Poison Dart Frog look like?

These frogs reach one to two inches in length. Contrary to their name, they are not yellow. They can come in a variety of bright colors ranging from green to yellow to orange. Their bright colors are intended to scare away predators, who will sometimes perceive bright colors as something poisonous or unpalatable. This type of defensive color is called aposmatic color.

Is Gold Poison Frog endangered?

Yes, these frogs are listed as endangered. Although there are a large number of them in their habitat, their habitat is quite small and is at risk of being invaded by humans.

Interesting facts about the Gold Poison Frog

The name Poison Dart Frog comes from the fact that the natives used its venom to poison the tips of their gun darts for hunting.

Poison can persist for a long time. Poisoned darts or arrowheads can be deadly for years. They are quite docile frogs, except during mating season when the males can become quite aggressive.

Medics are studying how to use frog poison to help humans.

A group of these frogs is called an army.

There is a species of snake called Leimadophis epinephelus that is resistant to the poison of frogs.