Golden poison frog

Tiny, bright and deadly poisonous

This frog is the size of a finger, but it's one of the most poisonous animals in the world! Its bright yellow colour tells everyone 'don't touch me!'. The frog gets its poison from the insects it eats — in a zoo on ordinary food it becomes harmless. You must never touch it, but it never attacks anyone.

The golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis) lives in a small patch of rainforest on Colombia's Pacific coast. Only 5 cm long, its skin holds 1 mg of batrachotoxin — enough to kill 10 adults; the toxin blocks nerve signals. It builds up the poison from its wild diet (ants, beetles). The bright colour is aposematism (warning colouration). The Emberá people coated hunting darts with the poison — hence 'poison dart frog'. Because of deforestation and gold mining its range is tiny (under 5,000 km²).

Fun facts

• One frog holds enough poison for 10 people — but only for defence.
• The frog gets its poison from food: in a zoo it's harmless.
• The father frog carries tadpoles on his back to water.