The golden dart frog (Phyllobates terribilis), also referred to as the golden arrowhead frog, occupies the fearsome greatest position of one of the world’s most poisonous animals.
Despite measuring only some centimeters, these amphibians produce a toxin so powerful that they are capable of scaring away and killing their greatest predators, for example, snakes and birds. In fact, it is estimated that the venom of a single frog could kill more than 10 people. Impressive, isn’t it? If you want to know more details and curiosities about these peculiar amphibians, keep reading this post to discover everything about the origin, appearance, behavior, and breeding of the Golden Dart Frog.
Can you have a golden dart frog as a pet?
The golden dart frog is an annual amphibian is a cause of the family Dendrobatidae, in which diverse breed of poisonous frogs endemic to Central and South America are spotted, which are popularly referred to as arrowhead frogs. This popular name is because many native tribes dipped the tip of their arrows in the poison of these birds, gaining greater effectiveness in hunting and defending their territory.
In turn, the golden dart frog is now endemic to Colombia, although there are also tiny populations living in Panama. In Colombian territory, these amphibians live almost exclusively on the Pacific coast of the departments of Cauca, Chocó, and Valle del Cauca. During the overall in Panama, they have been recorded mainly in the jungles of the province of Darien.
These amphibians are frequently tropical birds, which find their optimal housing in the warm and humid zones of the American continent, with abundant vegetation and average temperatures of 24ºC to 27ºC throughout the year. Specifically, the Golden Arrow Frog is optimally conformed to the jungle forests that are spotted at altitudes of up to 200 meters above sea level and register high rainfall rates with a minimum lineage humidity of 80%.
Appearance and physical attributes of the Golden Dart Frog
Within the big dendrobatidae family, the golden dart frog is a relatively big species, as adult individuals commonly grow 5 to 5.5 cm. All arrowhead frogs are noted for several patterns of aposematic coloration in their skin, a type of pigmentation that is commonly related to the toxicity of the animal and acts as a warning signal to its predators.
In golden dart frogs, the usual impressive skin is observed in adult individuals, but the coloration is uniform and does not show the dark spots that we can observe in other dendrobatids. One can also observe the existence of fine adhesive discs on the fingers of these frogs, which allow them to rapidly scale trees to escape, search for food, and rest quietly. A similar feature that differentiates the Golden Arrow Frog is the bony plate show in its lower jaw, which gives them the appearance of having tiny teeth.
Despite its name, not all golden arrow frogs are certainly golden, but there are 3 colors in this species:
Yellow: we could say that this is the ‘real’ golden arrow frog, as it exhibits the impressive yellow coloration that has inspired its popular name. The largest population of this variety lives in the Guangüi valley in Colombia.
Green mint: it stands out for being the most, not uncommon variety in captivity, and its wild housing is concentrated principally in the region of La Brea in Colombia. Despite the name, the frogs of this variety can exhibit several tones of impressive green or fair, and there are even white individuals.
Orange: Although not as not uncommon as the other varieties, orange frogs are the most attractive because of their orange or yellow-orange colors with a metallic shine.
The behavior of the Golden Dart Frog
Some may imagine that an animal as poisonous as the golden dart frog tends to maintain a more aggressive behavior with its predators. But in most reports, this thought is completely false, since these breeds are commonly reserved and fleeing, avoiding involvement in situations that may jeopardize their integrity.
In their wild housing, these frogs maintain diurnal habits, commonly foraging principally during the morning and early afternoon. It is a carnivorous animal whose diet is supported mainly on the demand of insects, principal ants from the Brachymyrmex and Paratrechina and families, although they also catch termites, caterpillars, flies, crickets, cockroaches, beetles, etc.
Interestingly, their insectivorous feeding is the cause why arrowhead frogs, such as the golden dart frog and the blue arrow frog, get poisonous animals. This happens because they are the insects that produce the formic acid that is essential for these amphibians to synthesize batrachotoxin (the powerful toxin that makes up their poison).
Currently, many experts assume that the quite high toxicity of the golden dart frog is due to the high demand of a tiny breed of beetle is the cause of the lineage Melyridae, which besides producing formic acid would also be able to synthesize batrachotoxin, so its existence in the diet of the frogs lets to potentiate its toxicity. However, this supposition has not yet been proven.
Reproduction of the Golden Dart Frog
Frog breeding always occurs during the hottest times of the year, when climatic terms and food availability favor the change of tadpoles. Enjoy all frog breed living in tropical climates, the Golden Dart Frog can reproduce at any time, thanks to the fact that they pass high and balanced temperatures throughout the year. They also tend to enjoy the seasons with the most rain.
Although fine is referred about the golden dart frog’s specific breeding ‘ritual’, it is estimated that it begins with the males vocalizing their sexual calls to attract the females, who will respond to their request by being receptive. Arrowhead frogs are oviparous beings with external fertilization, meaning that the eggs will be fertilized by the male on the outside of the female’s body.
In the absence of external reproductive organs (penis and vagina), male and female frogs release their sexual gametes through the sewers. Usually, female golden dart frogs deposit their eggs under leaves or rocks during periods of intense rain. The male is then responsible for fertilizing them and the mate commonly runs turns watching the eggs to assure that they are always confined well moist.
About fifteen days after fertilization, the eggs hatch and the male will have the larvae on his back until the tadpoles are well developed and can survive in the water. By finding a safe place in the water, the male will “release” those tadpoles that are currently prepared to feed on their own and continue experiencing their metamorphosis process until they get adult frogs.
Conservation status
The golden dart frog is already now an endangered breed according to the IUCN Flag List of Threatened Species. Despite having a powerful defense system against its predators, the survival of these amphibians is threatened principally by people’s interference in their housing, due to hunting, capture, and deforestation of tropical forests.
Can you keep a golden dart frog as a pet?
Theoretically, the golden dart frog would be among the frog breed that can be confined as a domestic animal. It is currently harmless when it does not consume insects that synthesize formic acid, for example, a few breeds of ants, caterpillars, and beetles. That is, with a controlled feeding, arrow frogs cannot synthesize the batrachotoxin, so they are no longer poisonous. However, before keeping an arrowhead frog as a companion animal, it is primary to consider diverse indispensable aspects. The 1st is that it is an endangered species, which as we saw, has been hunted and trapped for diverse years, partly to “serve” as an exotic companion animal for persons. One of the basic premises would be to ensure that it does not come from underground trafficking of a breed and that, therefore, its adoption is 100% responsible, legal, and meditated.
It is also fundamental to consider that, for these frogs to stop being poisonous, their sources of nutrition need to be altered and they need to be subjected to a diet that is significantly several from that which they would maintain in their wild lodging. Also, providing them with this type of fresh and nutritious diet implies economic solvency, as well as providing them with preventive medicine from a veterinarian expert in exotic beings to avoid not uncommon frog diseases. Final but not least, you should keep in mind that you will need to condition the habitat to supply the perfect change terms for a golden dart frog. This also means an investment of money, time, and effort, since it is an animal conformed to quite specific terms in the tropical forests.
So, if you are evaluating the possibility of having a frog as a companion animal, we advise you to lean towards breeds that are simpler to maintain, that are not poisonous, and that are not in threat of annihilation, for example, the green tree frog or the bullfrog. But remember to check if you can have a bullfrog as a companion animal since it is now an invasive breed in diverse countries.
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