Poison+Dart+Frogs

media type="custom" key="21346498" How deadly are the poison dart frogs at the Smithsonian's National Zoo? Jorge Ribas finds out. media type="youtube" key="dXWF4CZlY60?rel=0" height="315" width="560" Deep in the lush Amazon Jungle, scientists have uncovered a new family of chemicals that the infamous poison dart frog uses to defend itself. Check out our latest video podcast to learn more about how these tiny poisonous frogs use chemistry to create some of the most powerful toxins in the world!
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The Poison Dart Frog By: National Geographic (Adapted by Have Fun Teaching)

Poison dart frogs wear some of the most brilliant and beautiful colors on Earth. Depending on their habitats, which are from the tropical forests of Costa Rica to Brazil, their coloring can be yellow, gold, copper, red, green, blue, or black. Their designs and colors scare off predators. You may have seen monkeys carrying their children on their backs. Well, some of these frogs show some of these parenting habits, including carrying both eggs and tadpoles on their backs. These frogs are some of the most toxic animals on Earth. The two-inch-long Golden Poison Dart Frog has enough venom to kill 10 grown men. Indigenous people of Colombia have used its powerful venom for centuries to tip their blowgun darts when hunting. Scientists are not sure why these poison dart frogs are so poisonous, but it is possible they take in plant poisons, which are carried by their prey, including ants, termites and beetles. Poison dart frogs raised in captivity and isolated from insects in their native habitat never develop venom. The medical research community has been exploring ways to use poison dart frog venom in medicine. Scientists have already used their venom to create a painkiller medicine. ||=  ||=  ||