![]() (Moskowitz described using plastic cups to catch the frogs, which brings its own challenges. Those differences appeared to affect the quantity of toxins found in the frogs: Poison frogs in the pasture had a significantly lower toxin load, the analysis revealed.Īccording to Nora Moskowitz, a doctoral student at Stanford and the study’s lead author, that’s likely because the pasture had fewer toxin-containing ants that frogs rely on to accrue their poison. And overall, frogs in the forest ate more ants. They found that the two habitats harbored distinct communities of ants. In a study published last April, researchers analyzed Diablito poison frogs - “little devils” that are patterned like lava - in a forest and a nearby deforested cattle pasture in northwestern Ecuador. There’s recent evidence that deforestation - which is common in tropical countries where these amphibians reside - could be altering the ant populations that poison frogs rely on, and thus the amounts and types of toxins they carry. Changes to land tend to change the makeup of ant populations, and deforestation can reduce the total number of ant species in a given area. So much so that, like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, they often help scientists measure the quality of habitats. While ants appear to be everywhere and bothered by nothing, they’re highly sensitive to changes in their environment. How deforestation shapes a poison frog’s best defense Even if the frog dies in the process, he said, the incident can benefit other members of its species, because the predator will learn to avoid similar-looking animals when hunting for its next meal.īut these chemical defenses depend on a frog’s local menu - and poison frogs may lose their poison if they can’t get their fill of alkaloid-wielding ants and mites. When a snake or bird tosses back a frog, the predator will likely vomit it up, said Juan Santos, a herpetologist and assistant professor at St. Other toxins aren’t deadly but taste foul to predators. ![]() (Poison dart frogs are a subset of poison frogs.) The Emberá people of western Colombia have tipped blowgun darts with the batrachotoxin found in at least three species of poison frog, including the golden poison frog - perhaps the most poisonous animal alive. Some of the poison frog toxins, including epibatidine and batrachotoxin, are lethal - a fact not lost on some Indigenous groups of South America. (It’s not clear where the alkaloids originate.) A golden poison frog Peter Gercke/picture alliance via Getty Images “They rely on a really healthy habitat full of ants and mites to be able to acquire their toxins,” said Lauren O’Connell, an assistant professor at Stanford University whose lab is currently studying the amphibians. When the frogs eat them, they’re able to absorb the toxic alkaloids and concentrate them in glands under their skin. Instead, researchers believe, they get them from their natural diet of ants and mites.Ĭertain ants and mites contain organic compounds called alkaloids, some of which are toxic. That’s because, unlike venomous snakes and spiders, these amphibians - found in the forests of Central and South America, and in Madagascar - don’t manufacture toxins themselves. ![]() If you were to buy a pet poison frog (which, for the record, I am not recommending), chances are it wouldn’t actually be poisonous. Poison frogs don’t produce poison - they take it from ants and mites It all has to do with the remarkable way that these frogs become poisonous in the first place. And now, some researchers suspect it could actually be affecting, and perhaps even dimming, the poison that keeps these amphibians alive. Deforestation is devastating the tropics - surging 12 percent in 2020 compared to 2019 - shrinking the places where poison frogs live. But none is more potent than habitat loss. The frogs’ bright color is a warning sign that says: Remember: You’ve tried this before, and it didn’t go so well.īut as researchers are learning, there may be a problem with that approach.Īmphibians are among the most vulnerable animals, in part because they face a large number of threats, from the deadly chytrid fungus to poaching. If a snake, bird, or other predator swallows one of these frogs, they’ll spit it out and, if all goes to plan, never try to eat one again. Their strategy works because - as you might guess - poison frogs are poisonous. Painted in vivid reds, golds, and blues, these cracker-sized amphibians pop against the dull forest floor. Then there are poison frogs, which use precisely the opposite strategy. For many creatures, from stick bugs to leaf-litter toads, the best way to stay alive is to blend in.
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