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South American frogs Dart frogs and golden toads

The Colombian jungle is home to the golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis), commonly known as the golden dart frog or golden poison arrow frog.

Evaluated three theories for how the chytrid fungus may have contributed to the demise of the golden toad.

image this frog :  commonly known as the golden dart frog or golden poison arrow frog.

formerly known as the poison arrow frog) is the common name for a family of tropical Central and South American frogs called the Dendrobatidae. These species are nocturnal and frequently have bodies that are vividly coloured. Since the species' toxicity is correlated with their vibrant colouring, they are considered aposematic. Some Dendrobatidae species have cryptic colours with little to no detectable toxicity, whilst others have exceptionally vivid colour and significant toxicity.

Description of a golden toad

The Bufonidae family, which includes the golden toad among its 500 species, is known as the "real toads." Females displayed a broader variety of colours, including black, yellow, red, green, and white, while males were orange and occasionally somewhat speckled on the abdomen.  

Both sexes had smooth skin.

Females are covered in a dark, charcoal-colored pigment that is accented with yellow lines, in contrast to males who have blazing orange that attracts females to mate. The ability to distinguish between females and men, who were normally larger, was mostly based on sexual dimorphism. Male body lengths ranged from 39 to 48 mm, and female body lengths ranged from 42 to 56 mm. Males have longer, more sharp noses and proportionately longer limbs than females. Additionally, females had larger cranial crests above the orbit (eye socket), whereas males had crests that were much lower.

In especially during the dry season, people spent the most of their life in wet burrows. The golden toad's average lifespan is unknown, however other amphibian species in the family Bufonidae have a 10–12 year average life span.

Yellow Toad

Formerly known as Bufo periglenes, this extinct species of true toad was previously widespread in a tiny, high-altitude area measuring about 4 square kilometres (1.5 square miles) to the north of the Costa Rican city of Monteverde. Its only habitat was the elfin cloud forest.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has now declared the lone male golden toad, last seen on May 15, 1989, to be extinct (IUCN).

Poisonous frog

Due to their diet of termites, mites, and ants, several species have high toxicity.

However, other species that have cryptic colours and little to no toxicity consume a far wider range of prey. Because of the expansion of human infrastructure into their habitats, several animals in this family are threatened.

These amphibians are sometimes referred to as "dart frogs" because the Amerindians historically used their poisonous secretions to poison blowdart tips. Only four of the more than 170 species, all of which belong to the genus Phyllobates and are differentiated by their relatively large size and high levels of toxicity, have been found to be utilised for this purpose, though (curare plants are more frequently used).

Drugs and toxicity

About 28 different alkaloid structural groupings have been identified in poison frogs. The most lethal species of poison dart frog is Phyllobates terribilis. The diet-toxicity hypothesis postulates that dart frogs sequester the poisons from their arthropod prey, such as ants, centipedes, and mites, rather than producing them themselves.

Animals kept in captivity have low levels of toxins because their diets are devoid of the alkaloids that are released by wild populations. In fact, according to recent studies, the female frogs of some species may lay unfertilized eggs that are packed with trace levels of alkaloids to feed the tadpoles.

This conduct demonstrates that the poisons are first administered to children very young. However, when given an alkaloid-rich diet once more, the captive-bred frogs retain the capacity to accumulate alkaloids. Although certain poison dart frogs utilise toxins to harm prey, some predators have learned to resist them. The snake Erythrolamprus epinephalus is one example since it has become resistant to the venom.

Chemicals found in Epipedobates tricolor's skin can be extracted and have been shown to have therapeutic benefits.

Scientists employ this poison to make a painkiller. Epibatidine, a pain reliever with 200 times the strength of morphine but a therapeutic dose that is very close to the deadly dose, is one such drug.Tebanicline, an Abbott Laboratories-created derivative of ABT-594, advanced to human Phase II studies before being shelved due to an intolerable frequency of gastrointestinal side effects.

P. terribilis is regarded as one of the smartest anurans. After a few weeks of experience, caged poison dart frogs can distinguish human caretakers just like any other species. 

Additionally, they are exceptionally skilled tongue hunters who nearly never miss a target while catching prey with their long, adhesive tongues. This success at tongue-hunting suggests that this frog has higher mental and visual acuity than some other frogs. Golden poison frogs are curious, brazen, and appear to be conscious of their near invulnerability; they don't try to blend in and even flaunt their eye-catching colours to frighten away possible predators.

The golden poison frog is a sociable creature. Wild frogs normally live in groups of four to seven (on average six); captive frogs can be housed in groups of ten or even fifteen, however larger groups are more prone to disease and aggressiveness. Like all poison dart frogs, they rarely attack members of their own species, but there may occasionally be little disputes between the individuals. The golden poison frogs interact constantly with one another despite being immune to their own poison. They use gestures in addition to calls to communicate. While bowed heads appear to be a show of submission, push-up movements are a display of authority.

The parents of P. terribilis frogs are devoted. Eggs laid by the golden poison frogs are buried in leaf litter and laid on the ground. Tadpoles attach themselves to the mucus on their parents' backs as soon as they hatch from their eggs. The parent frogs lift their young towards the canopy and drop them in the water-filled tree holes and bromeliads' centre pools of water. In their nursery, the tadpoles eat algae and mosquito larvae. Parent frogs direct the froglets to an established group when the metamorphosis is finished.