The most poisonous frogs on the planet

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

Which of the earthly creatures is considered to be the most poisonous? Snakes, fish, spiders - they all occupy the second and next places, on the first - poisonous frogs of South and Central America. Their venom is ten times more toxic than that of a snake, and harmful substances surpass the power of potassium cyanide. The most poisonous frog in the world, capable of killing a dozen people, is a terrible dart frog (or leaf climber). Moreover, the sign "terrible" is part of the official name of the reptile.

The appearance indicates that the tree frog is poisonous, and there are no enemies for it. The bright flashy coloring catches the eye and warns, although the frogs themselves are small in size. Their weight is only 3-4 grams. The smallest representatives, such as the little poison dart frog and the blue poison dart frog, weigh even less. Adorable babies are painted in all colors of the rainbow - from bright yellow to blue with red spots. It is the coloring that signals that you cannot touch the reptile! Fortunately, the most poisonous frogs live only in the tropical jungles of America. Despite all the danger, thousands of hobbyists acquire such dangerous creatures for their terrariums.

Quantityspecies surprises with its diversity, there are up to 130 subspecies of poison dart frogs alone. All of them lead an active day life, and sleep at night. During the daytime, poison frogs prey on ants, worms, termites, and other insects. According to scientists, it is the diet of amphibians that affects the high degree of toxicity of their venom. Hundreds of alkaloids, which can be found on the skin of brightly colored frogs, enter the body with food.

It is enough to touch the skin of a frog to be instantly poisoned by a poison containing over 100 deadly highly toxic components. This mixture has a nerve-paralytic and cardiotonic effect. A person receives a dose of poison through minor injuries on the skin, as well as through the pores, while toxic substances are instantly absorbed, enter the heart, causing paralysis and death within a few minutes. Scientists have calculated that one gram of leaf climber venom is enough to kill a thousand adults.

This property was used by the Indians for hunting arrows. Now science has found out for sure that only 5 species of poison dart frogs produce deadly alkaloids - batrachotoxins. But while keeping these species in the terrarium, the amount of toxins on the skin decreased dramatically. And they were not found at all in captive-born poison dart frogs. Poison frogs are not aggressive, therefore they do not pose a threat to humanity, since the poison becomes less dangerous with mass removal. The best defense is just not to touch.

For science, poisonous frogs are a hugea field for research and experiments, during which fundamentally new medicines can be obtained. In particular, we are talking about painkillers that are stronger than morphine, antibiotics, and means to stimulate cardiac function. While doctors of science are fighting for new drugs, dart frogs and leaf climbers are fighting for life on the planet, killing people and animals with their poison that dared to touch them through negligence.