Poison Frog #3
by Danté Fenolio
Title
Poison Frog #3
Artist
Danté Fenolio
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Ameerega pangoensis is known only from Amazonian Peru on the eastern side of the Andes Mountains. It was described relatively recently (1999). Frogs of the family Dendrobatidae have been given a number of common names. Poison Arrow Frogs and Poison Dart Frogs are probably the two most commonly recognized names for the group as a whole. Only three of the over 160 species of these frogs were ever used to poison darts and none were used to poison arrows, so both of these common names are not very representative of the entire family. Poison Frogs seems to be the common name that has stuck. There are over 200 toxic compounds that have been identified from the skin of these frogs and many of them hold medical potential for use with humans. Investigations of these skin toxins for human applications have included their use as potential painkillers, treatments for diabetes and heart disease, and for use as antibiotics against antibiotic resistant bacteria. After what can be a long and intricate courtship, frogs of the family Dendrobatidae deposit eggs terrestrially. One or both of the parents attend and defend the developing clutch. Depending on the species, one of the parents allows newly hatched tadpoles to squirm onto their backs where the tadpoles actually glue themselves to the skin of the parent using glue glands around their mouths. The parent then transports the tadpoles to a water source where the glue breaks down because it is water soluble. The bright colors of poison frogs warn potential predators of the toxins that they produce in their skin.
Uploaded
June 12th, 2013
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