the yellow frog is the most poisonous animal in the world

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The frog dendrobatidae is a very deceptive creature - despite its small size of 5 cm, it is the most toxic creature on Earth. A single sting can kill more than 10 adult men in about 3 minutes. In fact, the species takes its name from the indigenous Emberas hunters from Colombia, who have already used frogs to make deadly blowgun darts.

The bright yellow frogs are found only in a small rainforest on the Pacific coast of Colombia, and their color can sometimes vary between yellow, orange or pale green. The glamor of their appearance is a deliberate ploy, a tactic called aposematic or a "warning" color, to ward off potential predators. As proven by a 2001 study by Kyle Summers of East Carolina University in Greenville, the brightest frogs are still the most toxic.

Contact with this frog does not necessarily put you in a life-threatening situation, as amphibians produce and excrete potent toxin through their skin only when they feel threatened. But picking up one of these tiny creatures and holding it in your hand for more than a few seconds without gloves is suicidal. The skin of the frog quickly becomes covered with alkaloid poison (batrachotoxin) which has the ability to "freeze" the nerves, preventing any transmission of impulses. Within minutes, the victim experiences uncontrollable muscle contractions and possibly heart failure.

Scientists have not been able to determine the exact reason behind the extreme toxicity of the frog. They traced their origins to 40-45 million years in the forests of northern South America, and found that their ancestors were not toxic. There is some speculation that creatures do not generate their own poison, but ingest huge amounts of plant poisons, mainly carried by their prey - flies, ants, crickets, beetles and termites. Their high metabolic rate would have treated the venom fairly quickly, allowing them to resist and even absorb it. This theory is further reinforced by the fact that frogs raised in captivity never develop venom.

Interestingly, a 2014 study by Ralph Saporito of John Carroll University, Ohio, found that tiny tadpoles receive venom from their mothers through a diet of unfertilized eggs. Babies absorb venom through the diet and become toxic themselves. "Mom is able to provide a defense by placing alkaloids in the eggs," Saporito explained. "It seems that the alkaloids of the tadpoles are sufficient to deter some potential predatory arthropods such as the hungry dragonflies." Their bright color, of course, prevents predators from attacking in the first place.

Unfortunately, the beautiful toxic frogs are an endangered species due to the massive destruction of their habitat in the rainforest through deforestation and illegal gold mining, cocoa farming, and logging. "We are about to erase one of the most extraordinary and exciting creatures on the planet," wrote journalist Simon Barnes in 2011. "We would all be much poorer without such a creature to give us nightmares. . "

To protect the species, the environmental conservation charity World Land Trust has established the Rana Terribilis Amphibian Reserve in the wettest rainforests of western Colombia. According to the organization's website, "The population of the reserve is a healthy population, this frog is one of the most extraordinary creatures on the planet. With a height of only 5 cm, this tiny living creature carries a single milligram of toxin - a small lethal dose. "

The site goes on to explain that the Embera Indians learned to use this poison to their advantage by gently brushing the tips of their arrows and darts on the back of a frog without hurting it. Weapons prepared in this manner would remain deadly for more than two years.

Currently, medical researchers and amphibian experts are interested in discovering the possible medicinal uses of frog venom, especially as analgesics. "It's not the fact that compounds cause toxic effects that is of interest here," said Richard Fitch of Indiana State University at the BBC. "It's the way they do it that's helpful for the scientist and the doctor. In the past, alkaloids have proven to be good for fighting cancer with soothing properties of pain and they are stimulants as potent as caffeine. Of course, venom can not be directly administered as a drug, but understanding its structure and chemistry may help design better drugs. "
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