Adopt A Vertebrate (poison dart frog)

1. Kimberly Winter Period: 3 Adopt A Vertebrate (poison dart frog)

2. Poison Dart Frog • Kingdom: Animalia • Phylum: Chordata • Class: Amphibia • Order: Anura • Family: Dendrobatoidea • Genus: Dendrobates • Species: DendrobatesAuratus

3. Habitat • Poison dart frogs are endemic to humid and tropical environments of Central and Latin America. (They are generally found in tropical rainforests) • Their natural habitats will include subtropical/tropical moist lowlands, high-altitude shrub lands, moist montanes, rivers, freshwater marshes, lakes, and swamps. They tend to live close to the ground as well as 10 meter trees from the ground

4. Reproduction • Many poison dart frogs can be dedicated parents. Once eggs are hatched the tadpoles attach themselves to the mucus on the back of their parents, some dart frogs deposit their eggs into water and others lay them on the forest floor hidden by the leaves. The eggs are fertilized externally just like other fish. It tends to be a battle among the other poison dart frogs for the most prominent roots and nests. (territories)

5. Feeding • The poison dart frogs main source of food is small insects, (i.e. ants, mites, and spiders) The insects are lured in by the bright extravagant colors of the frog and are poisoned by the toxins from their skins glands. The frogs are omnivores.

6. Development • After the eggs are laid in a safe location the male frog will periodically check up on them from time to time. It usually takes 12 days for the eggs to hatch into tadpoles and after they hatch the male carries them on his back and takes them to a safer environment like a stream or a lake to continue their development.

7. Interesting facts: • The frogs gather toxins from the bugs that they eat. • Lifespan is 1-3 years • They are earth’s most toxic species • To attract females the males will make a buzzing sound with the leaves. • Some tribes used the poison from the frogs to poison the tips of their darts.

8. Not all of the frogs are poisonous and only three of the species are poisonous to humans. • The most deadly to humans is the golden poison arrow frog. • Some frogs are endangered due to their loss of habitats. • It is possible that the poison from the frogs could be used as a muscle relaxer and appetite reducer. • These types of frogs are bad swimmers.

9. Works Cited • http://tolweb.org/treehouse/ • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/poison_dart_frog • http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Amazonia/Facts/fact-poisondartfrog.cfm • http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/fun_facts_and_information_about_the.html