{"id":192,"date":"2018-04-06T15:03:32","date_gmt":"2018-04-06T15:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.frogpets.com\/?p=192"},"modified":"2022-08-28T00:43:24","modified_gmt":"2022-08-28T00:43:24","slug":"worlds-deadliest-frogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.frogpets.com\/worlds-deadliest-frogs\/","title":{"rendered":"The Deadliest Frogs in the World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
With over 170 species of poison dart frogs, also known as Dendrobatoidae<\/em><\/strong>, it’s fascinating to question which of these is the deadliest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Dendrobatoidae<\/em> family has 7 Genus; only one of which has been documented as being used to make poisonous darts or arrows. That Genus is known as Phyllobates and it contains 6 species of frogs, all of which are native to South America.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In this article, we will uncover some fascinating facts about Phyllobates<\/em>, the most poisonous genus of frogs on earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what makes them so deadly? How was the poison extracted and which of the six species is the most potent? I’ll answer those questions and more in the paragraphs below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before I reveal the deadliest frog, it’s important to understand why some frogs are poisonous in the first place. It essentially comes down to their genetic make-up and the food they eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Studies suggest poison dart frogs do not synthesize their own poisons but, instead, metabolize harmful toxins from alkaloid-containing food sources. Arthropod’s like centipedes, mites, and ants are what make these frogs poisonous. This is known as the diet-toxicity hypothesis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A study by Ralph Saporito<\/a> revealed not just mature frogs are poisonous, their tadpoles are too. Mothers place alkaloids in unfertilized eggs which are fed to the tadpoles. The toxins are absorbed, resulting in deadly poison-dart tadpoles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With this information in mind, keeping poison-dart frogs in captivity is common practice among frog enthusiasts worldwide. Captive-bred dart frogs<\/a> are considered harmless<\/strong> because they don’t have access to food containing alkaloids.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Poison Dart Frogs are Deadly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n