Golden Poison Frog

Behaviour

Golden Poison Frogs are territorial and live on the ground. The female lays eggs on the ground and the male transports the larvae to permanent pools. The species feeds on small invertebrates such as flies, beetles, crickets, ants and termites.

Probably due to its lethal deterrent, the Golden Poison Frog appears bold when danger threatens; it does not hide, but simply hops away. The poison is the only defence the frog has against predators, it has no delivery system (such as sharp teeth or spines) and can only secrete the poison through its skin.

Very small quantities of its poison can be fatal if they enter the bloodstream. A single frog may contain enough poison to kill more than 20,000 mice, or more than 10 people. Toxin equivalent to two grains of salt is enough to kill one person. The poison permanently prevents nerves from transmitting impulses, which leads to heart failure. Death occurs in less than 10 minutes and there is no cure.

Habitat

The Golden Poison Frog is endemic to a small area in Colombia. It lives on the forest floor in tropical rainforest, in a small and dwindling area of the Cauca Department on the Pacific Coast. The rough, hilly country where it makes its home is in westernmost Colombia.

Here, World Land Trust has helped to create the Rana Terribilis Amphibian Reserve, specifically to protect this frog and its habitat, one of the wettest tropical rainforests in the world.