The most beautiful frogs. The most poisonous and dangerous frogs
On our planet there are many different poisonous creatures. And some of them use their poisons for both defense and attack. In this article we will tell you about the most poisonous frogs that live in different corners our Earth.
The most poisonous frogs on our Earth are frogs from the dart frog family. Size adult frog ranges from 3 - 6 cm, but some representatives of this species reach a size of 8 cm, females usually larger than males.
Dart frogs have webbed feet, and there are small suckers at the ends of the toes of the front paws. Frogs have a variety of very bright colors. The skin of a dart frog is permeated with glands that secrete microscopic doses of poison; even one dose of this poison can kill a jaguar, as well as kill 10 people.
The poison of these frogs consists of a hundred different substances and is very toxic. Death occurs even if a small amount of poison gets on the skin. When the poison gets in, paralysis of the upper respiratory tract, arrhythmia, myocardial paralysis, ventricular fibrillation. There is no vaccine against this poison.
There is an assumption that the poison accumulates when eating ants and ticks. When the frog is kept in captivity and eats other foods, the toxicity of the poison is reduced.
Dart frogs inhabit the territories of Brazil, Guiana, French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname. They live in small bodies of water and lead a diurnal terrestrial lifestyle, although they are called dart frogs, but they rarely climb higher than a small stump or onto a fallen tree. At night they sleep under leaves, under stones, in moss, under snags.
But the orange poison dart frog and the black and yellow giant prefer to climb tree trunks and are located in the crown at a height of 1.5 to 15 meters. They feed on small insects - ants, mosquitoes, ticks, midges. Food is obtained using a sticky tongue, the tongue is sharply thrown forward and the insects stick to it.
Dart frogs breed on land, during the rainy season, once a year from February to March. The female lays in damp places, directly on the ground or in the leaves of a bromeliad plant from 5 to 30 eggs.
Usually the males take care of and protect the clutch, moisten it with water so that the eggs do not dry out and mix it. Until the tadpoles hatch, they protect the eggs, since the females can eat them. When the tadpoles appear, dart frogs carry them on their backs to nearby bodies of water or to huge bromeliad leaves filled with water.
Tadpoles feed aquatic plants, insects, remains of plants, insects, worms that have fallen into the water, sometimes they are not averse to snacking on their fellow creatures. After 14-18 days, the tadpoles turn into frogs and switch to a terrestrial lifestyle.
The most venomous poison dart frogs are the spotted poison dart frog, the little poison dart frog, and the blue poison dart frog.
Spotted poison frog lives in Peru, Western Brazil and tropical forests Ecuador and is one of the most poisonous representatives from the genus of spotted frogs. The poison of one frog is enough to poison 5 people.
This is a small frog, ranging from 16 to 19 mm, with females slightly larger than males. The frog's body is black, covered with yellow round or elongated spots. Limbs of blue color with black spots, the paws are large, the first toe is shorter than the second, at the ends of the toes there are large roundnesses, twice as wide as the toe, but on the first toe there is no such roundness. The frog has a narrow head and a rounded muzzle. The main diet of frogs consists of small insects, mites and ants.
Females lay eggs, and fertilized eggs are placed one or more in small holes in trees where there is water. Once the tadpoles begin to hatch, the male takes each tadpole to other hollows and all tadpoles are raised separately from each other. Tadpoles feed on unfertilized eggs, which the female lays every 5-10 days. The tadpole tears the outer shell of the egg with its jaws and eats only the yolk.
This deadly frog lives in the rainforests of southwestern Colombia and is one of the most poisonous frogs in the world. The venom of this amphibian has a neuro- paralytic effect and is capable of killing not only a large animal, but is also deadly to humans; just by touching the skin of a frog, you can die. Toxic substance- batrachotoxin, blocks nerve channels and has a paralyzing effect on the muscles, including the heart muscle, and the person dies from arrhythmia or heart failure.
The poison is produced in the frog's body when processing food that contains toxins. Leaf climbers feed on ants, mites, small beetles and other small insects. If a frog is fed other foods for a year, no poison is produced.
The frog is colored bright yellow color, body size is from 2 to 4 cm, fingers without membranes, widened at the ends and play the role of suckers, with the help of which leaf climbers move along the branches and leaves of plants.
Leaf climbers are diurnal, living in families that consist of a male and 3-5 females. They reproduce by laying 15 to 30 eggs on land, in damp places.
The male watches over the eggs, and when the tadpoles hatch, he takes care of them. Small tadpoles attach to the back of the male and move with him to the water. When tadpoles are 10 days old, they begin to swim independently. After two weeks they turn into frogs and come out onto land. Little frogs pale yellow colors with black stripes on the back and sides, but as they grow, they acquire a bright yellow color. In nature, leaf climbers are found with orange and red, as well as pale green skin color.
Another poisonous frog living on our planet is called the bicolor phyllomedusa, belongs to the tree frog family and is also considered a very dangerous frog. This frog lives in the Amazon forests in western and northern Brazil, northern Bolivia, southeastern Colombia and Venezuela, Guiana and eastern Peru.
The poison of this frog causes hallucinations and problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Local tribes living along the banks of the Amazon specifically use poison to induce hallucinations.
The body length of the bicolor phyllomedusa is 6 cm, the upper side of the frog's body is green, and the sides and legs have different colors from orange-red to purple.
Two-colored phyllomedusae live in the crowns tall trees, clinging to thin branches and leaves with your fingers. Caviar is laid on trees in wide leaves, which are wrapped and glued in the form of a bag.
Another frog, more precisely, the Chiriquita toad is considered one of the most poisonous frogs in the world. This toad lives on the isthmus between North and South America, in Panama and Costa Rica. It is brightly colored and small in size - the male is only about three cm in size, and the females grow from 3.5 to 5 cm. The chiriquita toad is endangered.
The poison is a neurotoxin produced by the skin and contained in the mucus of the toad. If the venom of this toad gets on a person’s skin, the sodium and potassium channels in the nerve endings are blocked and the person’s coordination of movements is impaired, convulsions occur and paralysis of the limbs occurs. There is no antidote, but during general detoxification of the body, it leaves a chance for survival.
All the frogs that we told you about have a very attractive appearance, thanks to their bright, varied skin color, but they are among the most dangerous creatures on our planet.
Phyllobates terribilis—
a small frog from the genus of leaf climbers of the poison dart frog family. One of the most poisonous vertebrates on Earth. I - batrachotoxin.
(5 photos)
This the amphibian is considered one of the most poisonous representatives of the fauna of our planet. Terrible leaf climber is the world's largest poisonous frog.
It’s hard to imagine, but this “monster”, dangerous for all living things, measures only two to four centimeters! What is its danger?
Why is the terrible leaf climber so scary?
The most main feature The golden frog is that the danger when encountering it lies not in the teeth, the poisonous sting, or the toxic liquid injected at the moment of danger. This amphibian has a poisonous entire surface of its skin; it is covered with so much toxic substance – batrachotoxin that it is enough to poison more than ten people with a tragic outcome. And it doesn’t matter whether someone tries to offend her or just accidentally touches her - this is deadly! The poison, when it gets on the victim, blocks the nerve channels, has a paralyzing effect on the muscles, including the heart, so death occurs from heart failure or arrhythmia.
Horrible
leaf climber (Phyllobates terribilis).
The indigenous peoples of Colombia have used this poison for centuries to lubricate arrowheads, but the most amazing thing is that the toxin retains its terrible properties up to two years! It is known that if any animal simply sits in the place where the terrible leaf climber was previously, its death is inevitable. One frog may contain only up to one milligram of batrachotoxin, but this amount is enough to kill two elephants. With its bright colors, the frog seems to warn everyone: "Careful - I'm very dangerous!"
A terrible leaf climber, a seemingly ordinary, small harmless frog.
What are the structural features of the golden frog?
Terrible leaf crawlers very rarely reach sizes more than five centimeters in length. One of the features of frogs of this species is the absence of membranes on their legs. But at the tips of their fingers there are disc-shaped extensions, similar to suction cups, with the help of which they climb trees. In addition, these frogs, unlike all other representatives of the genus, have bone plates in the lower jaw - the rudiments of teeth. It is also curious that these amphibians cannot tolerate even short-term hunger strikes. They must eat often, otherwise just three days without food can kill them.
The venom of this harmless amphibian is extremely toxic..
Habitat of Leaf Climbers– tropical rainforests, their lower tier where they settle in small groups and lead a daily lifestyle. Usually their "family" consists of four or five females and only one male, because males They have a strong sense of ownership and fight with each other for territory. Their confrontation is expressed as follows: the males first compete with their voices, producing short trills from several minutes to several hours, and if no one gives in, then it all ends in a real brawl, reminiscent of freestyle wrestling.
Terrible leaf climbers are caring parents and excellent hunters
Another feature of these amphibians is that they spawn on land, and not in water, like most of their relatives. In dark and damp thickets, the female lays 15 - 30 eggs and considers her mission completed - she leaves. The father remains near the eggs, he protects them, waters them with water, and periodically stirs them with his hind legs. A few days later, when the tadpoles appear, the father places them on his back and heads to the pond.
Terrible leaf climber - poisonous yellow frog.
It takes two or three weeks for the tadpoles to develop into... aquatic environment, and then the baby frogs are born. Now they can go ashore and begin independent life, but still young individuals continue to live for quite a long time with their parents or not far from them. This can continue until the moment when the grown frogs themselves are ready to create their own “family.”
An interesting fact remains that the golden poison frog never uses its terrible poison for hunting, feeding on ticks, small ants, bugs and other insects. By nature she is a peaceful creature, and her formidable weapon– poisonous toxin – serves only for self-defense.
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Ecology
The most poisonous frogs, ironically, have the most amazing and beautiful appearance, however, it is extremely undesirable to touch them. Just one touch to the skin of these creatures can cost you your life. Find out more about the most poisonous, but very colorful and beautiful frogs.
1) Bicolor phyllomedusa
Phyllomedusa bicolor
This large frog, which is often called the monkey frog, is very curious. Although its venom is not as dangerous as that of some other representatives of the frog world, most of us are unlikely to want to try its effects: the venom can cause unpleasant hallucinations or stomach problems. We say "most of us" because some tribes on the banks of the Amazon do deliberately use their poison to induce hallucinations.
2) Spotted poison dart frog
Dendrobates tinctorius
This amazing beauty the frog may have different colors skin, it is interesting not only because its skin is poisonous, which should not be forgotten, but also because its poison has a special effect on parrots. Indigenous peoples of the Amazon use frog poison to change the color of the feathers of parrots.
3) Red-backed poison frog
Ranitomeya reticulatus
Native to Peru, this frog has a mild venom that can cause health problems in humans and can kill some animals. Like other poisonous frogs, these beautiful little creatures require special food to produce their poison. In this case, the “raw material” of poison for them is poisonous ant. The frog stores poison in the skin glands and releases it as needed. Most often this happens in case of danger, when some predator is about to eat the frog.
4) Little poison dart frog
Dendrobates pumilio
Very small in size, but quite bright and beautiful, this strawberry frog is found in impenetrable forests Central America. Her bright color warns: “Stay away, otherwise you will get burned.” You should take the threat seriously, as the frog can really sting painfully, and the sensation is similar to a burn.
5) Blue dart frog
Dendrobates azureus
This frog is really very cute, as can be seen from the photo. However, its beautiful and bright color does not bode well: its poison is enough to kill even the largest natural predator; there are cases where even people died from this poison. However, some brave people keep these creatures at home as pets. How is this possible, you ask? Fortunately, in captivity frogs lose their poisonous properties, because they do not receive special food to produce poison, and they don’t need it, since no one will offend them in the aquarium. The frog retains its wonderful appearance, but loses its poison. This applies to all frogs on our list.
6) Charming leaf climber
Phyllobates lugubris
The charming leaf climber is the least poisonous of its genus, although it still makes its victims bitterly regret that they tried to attack it. He is called "charming frog" only because of his appearance. If you want to find representatives of this species in nature, you should go to Central America. It is unlikely that you will have to look for it for a long time, since such poisonous creatures are usually not going to hide from someone.
7) Striped leaf climber
Phyllobates vittatus
As with the frogs mentioned above, these small amphibians with their bright colors warn enemies that they are not as defenseless as they seem, so you should stay away from them. The venom of these creatures causes severe pain and can even lead to paralysis.
8) Spotted poison frog
Ranitomeya variabilis
These beautiful creatures live in the tropical forests of Ecuador and Peru and are one of the most poisonous representatives of the genus Ranitomeya. The poison of one frog can be enough to kill 5 people! Although the frog looks very cute, it should not be touched under any circumstances. Even if you are lucky enough to visit the forests of Ecuador or Peru, you should not be afraid to encounter a frog. She will never attack first.
9) Three-striped leaf climber
Epipedobates tricolor
These frogs are very small, but are one of the most deadly amphibians. They can kill not only large animals, but also humans, so no one would think of playing with them. Frogs are endangered, so they can rarely be found even in their homeland - in the forests of Ecuador. To save these frogs and increase their numbers, researchers are trying to breed them in captivity. Preserving them is also important from a medical point of view: the poison of these frogs is 200 times stronger than morphine and is an excellent pain reliever.
10) Terrible leaf climber
Phyllobates terribilis
This extremely poisonous frog lives in Colombia. Despite their eye-catching appearance, these creatures are not the type to play with: their bright colors warn of danger. In fact, these frogs are so poisonous that a person can die just by touching them, hence the name. Dire leaf climbers do not use venom to kill their prey, but only to protect themselves from predators. Therefore, if you see frogs in the forest, but do not try to touch them, they will not cause you any harm.