Golden Frog

The Golden Frog is one of the largest poison dart frogs. Little disks on its toes help it climb plants. Like all dart frogs, its main characteristic is its bright color. Their coloring is aposematic, the pigment advertising its toxicity to predators. Their skin contains a venom common to these amphibians: batrachotoxin. This blocks neural signals to the muscles, causing cardiac problems. It is one of the most potent toxins in the animal kingdom and one to which they are immune.

This dart frog can be mint green, yellow, or orange and is characterized by its diurnal (daytime) activity. They live in rainforests in temperatures above 78ºF (26ºC). They are not venomous in captivity, which suggests that the venom is generated by ingesting insects containing the active toxic agent. The destruction of their habitat has placed them in danger.