These frogs aren’t going to attack you – don’t worry about that.
#LET LOOSE THE FROGS OF WAR HOW TO#
How to Survive an Poison Dart Frog’s Toxin That simply means it keeps the average illegal poacher out – let’s just hope circumstances don’t lead to the extinction of this amazing amphibian. Fortunately they are somewhat protected by the fact that it’s a hot spot for drug smuggling, illegal gold mining and general civil unrest. It’s extremely endangered because of illegal collecting. It lives in the untamed western pacific lowland rainforests of Colombia in one very small region about the size of New York City. The most dangerous is the golden poison dart frog. There are reports that it is chemically stable for up to a year on blow-darts, which is part of why they’re so useful as a hunting tool.
We still don’t know exactly what mystery insect they eat to produce the toxin. The toxic alkaloids originate in their environment from their unique and not well studied diet. These frogs could theoretically produce this deadly toxin when they are bred outside their native habitat – that is if they were given certain supplements or fed a diet more similar to their wild diet. Yet, in captivity they are completely harmless. Get it in your system and you’re likely dead in a few minutes. This causes paralysis, and since you need your nerves to breathe and heart to beat it can result in cardiac arrest and respiratory failure. It works in their victims by destroying sodium channels – which is essentially how our nerves communicate with each other.
For perspective, this toxin is 1000 times more potent than cyanide.īatrachotoxin is a toxic cardio and neuro-steroidal alkaloid. Just a small amount of it, the equivalent of two grains of table salt, is enough to kill a person. The most toxic compound is batrachotoxin (although there are a host of other toxic alkaloids as well). If disturbed, they’ll secrete these toxic compounds via glands on their necks and backs. That’s why almost every poison dart frog is beautifully colored. This dramatic coloration is a type of aposematism – advertising with bright colors that they’re toxic! In fact, if you see brightly colored frogs, snakes or insects, this is generally a great indication that they’re highly toxic (or potentially mimicking something that’s highly toxic). This frog is bright yellow and it stands out dramatically in the forest undergrowth. The most potent being Phyllobates terribilis – the golden poison dart frog. Only a few have the intense toxicity for that. Truth be told, this isn’t true for every species. The latter name came from the fact that indigenous hunters would dip their blow darts in a concoction made of dead frogs to make their blow darts extremely lethal. There are more than 200 species of little frogs that live in the neotropics that are collectively called poison frogs – or more colloquially, poison dart frogs.
#LET LOOSE THE FROGS OF WAR SKIN#
The toxin entered his skin causing cardiac arrest within a few minutes. He never cleaned the blade, and in a terrible twist of fate, he cut himself with the tip of his knife. The result was a dead frog on the end of his blade. As it turns out, a week earlier he had been messing with one of these poison dart frogs in the jungle – something I can tell you is not good for your karma.
He described a training mission with a young recruit who died unexpectedly after getting a simple cut by his own pocket knife. One conversation I had nearly 20 years ago with a former Army Ranger forever fascinated me with the poison dart frogs. That’s a pretty amazing feat given that these frogs aren’t much bigger than your thumb! The golden poison dart frog is said to have enough toxin to kill 10-20 men just by touching it. It seems odd to me that arguably the most toxic vertebrate isn’t anything that is in any way “out to get you.” Instead it’s a cute, colorful and passive little amphibian.
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