KEYWORDS: Dendrobatidae, Habitat, Diet, Life History, Conservation, Distribution, Dendrobates pumilio, Central America, Reproduction, Poison-Dart Frog.
Considered some of the smallest vertebrates in the world, the members of Dendrobatidae, or poison-dart frogs, have a wide distribution throughout the southern parts of Central America and produce a diverse population throughout these areas. As their name indicates, Strawberry poison-dart frogs (Dendrobates pumilio) are some of the most toxic organisms in the world, and their diverse bright color schemes are prominent general indicators of their toxicity.
Description and Identification
An extremely small amphibian, the Strawberry poison-dart frog averages roughly 20 mm in length (Sandmeier, 2001) and weighs 8.5 grams (National Aquarium, 2014). The distinctive coloration of the members of Dendrobates pumilio is highly variable, ranging from bright red (Figure 1), to spotted blue, to yellow, and other various striped colors (Milligan, 2008); this coloration is representative of their toxicity and a warning display for possible predators (Bristol Zoo Gardens, 2014). Strawberry poison-dart frogs do not express any form of sexual dimorphism, with males and females exhibiting similar, nearly identical physical appearances and statures, though males tend to exhibit brighter coloration to attract potential mates; tadpoles reach 11 mm in size when approaching metamorphosis (Sandmeier, 2001).
Distribution and Abundance
Specimens of Strawberry poison-dart frogs are widely distributed throughout Puerto Rico and the southern parts of Central America, with high population densities seen in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama (Figure 2) (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natu...
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• Smithsonian National Zoological Park. (2014). Poison Dart Frog. Retrieved March 28, 2014, from nationalzoo.si.edu: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/amazonia/facts/fact-poisondartfrog.cfm
• Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. (2014). Strawberry Poison Dart Frog. Retrieved March 28, 2014, from lowryparkzoo.com: http://www.lowryparkzoo.com/bio_florida_strawberrypoisondartfrog.php
• The Nature Conservancy. (2014). Strawberry Poison-Dart Frog. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from nature.org: http://www.nature.org/newsfeatures/specialfeatures/animals/amphibians/strawberry-poison-dart-frog.xml
• Weiskittle, J. (2002, May 14). Dendrobates pumilio: Strawberry Poison Dart Frog. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from muohio.edu: http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/fieldcourses02/PapersCostaRicaArticles/Dendrobatespumilio.strawb.html
There are some nice adaptations for the Strawberry dart frog. They can extract toxic alkaloids from variance of mites, ants, millipedes, and beetles. When they extract these poisons, they store it in compounds in glands on their skin. Lisa Lester says that when the frog feels threatened, they can release the toxins stored in their glands at the enemy. (Lisa Lester, “Strawberry Poison Frogs Feed Their Babies Poison Eggs”)
Ko-kee, ko-kee... are the mating calls of invasive Coqui frogs who have invaded a majority of the Big Island. These Coqui frogs, also known as Eleutherodactylus coqui are native in Puerto Rico and these small frogs are considered their national animal (Singer et al). Coqui frogs were accidentally introduced to Hawaii during a shipment of plants from Puerto Rico to Hawaii in the late 1980's. Coqui frogs are about 2 inches in length and are usually light brown or gray with a stripe down their back. Over the past two decades E. coqui have spread to the four main Hawaiian Islands and other places such as the Caribbean, Florida, and Louisiana (Singer et al). As of today, the Coquis intensive mating calls can be heard throughout every part of the Big Island during the night. While the Puerto Ricans love the sound of the Coquis, many locals in Hawaii dislike them due to the environmental and economic damages they are creating. Coqui frogs are detriment to Hawaii because they are a serious threat to the native insect population, compete for food with Hawaii's native bird population, and cost residents and businesses millions of dollars each year (McAvoy).
1. Alden, Peter, Rich Cech, and Gil Nelson. 1998. National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida. New York: Knopf.
Exotic snakes such as the python, boa constrictors and anaconda as well as the Monitor and Tegu lizard are taking over central and southern Florida and pose an extreme threat to the eco- system and to the families that are residing there.
U.S. Department of the interior, National Park Service. (2013). Endangered Species. Retrieved from website: http://www.nature.nps.gov/biology/endangeredspecies/index.cfm
Poison arrow frogs are one of the most interesting animals of the Amazon rainforest. Poison Arrow Frogs are very colorful. The Poison arrow frogs skin holds all of the poison. Female Poison arrow frogs lay eggs in the water which then turn into tadpoles, when nursing the tadpoles stay on the females back. They’re colorful and vibrant body warn predators to not go near them. Most Poison arrow frogs are a bright colored. The Poison arrow frogs scientific name is Dendrobatidae. Poison arrow frogs are not poisonous in captivity. They gain their poison from bugs and arthropods that they eat. Poison arrow frogs gained their name from indian tribes putting the Poison arrow frogs poison on darts and arrows. Poison arrow frogs are small and about a centimetre tall and wide. The most poisonous part of a poison arrow frog is the Poison arrow frogs skin that can kill a 180 pound 6 ft man but usually it isn’t bad. All Poison frogs are poisonous but only 3 are deadly. The most poisonous and deadly Poison arrow frog is the famous Golden arrow frog. Its poison, Batrachotoxin can kill small animals and humans. As you can see Poison arrow frogs are unique and colorful frogs.
Cavendish, M. (2011). North American Wildlife. (p. 109). New York: Marshall Cavendish Reference. DOI: www.marshallcavendish.us
The authors have assigned key words described throughout this article including amphibian decline, endocrine disruption, pesticide and sex reversal. The larger or global context for the research conducted in this article is that the pesticide Atrazine is widely utilized across the entire world, contaminating water sources by mobilizing through rainfall, disrupting habitats and impacting organisms by acting as an endocrine disruptor. The research specifically described in this article is how continued Atrazine exposure affects the reproductive development of a male population of African clawed frogs. This research explores the issue of atrazine exposure contributing to the generation of sex reversed frogs in a male population. The article addresses previous studies where Atrazine had no significant effects on amphibians in specific conditions. It also includes other studies where this pesticide proved to be an endocrine disruptor; reducing testosterone and promoting demasculinization and feminization in amphibians.
Parry, Wynne. (Sept. 23Rd , 2011) Exotic Pets Turning Invasive, Threatning Florida. Tech Media. Retrieved March 10th 2014, from http://www.livescience.com/16204-florida-invasive-reptiles-amphibians.html
Environmental effects are an enormous cause for bans on certain reptiles. The Florida Everglades have been taken over by discarded pets such as Nile crocodiles, Burmese pythons and Argentine black and white tegus
The biodiversity of this particular biome is vast and rapidly growing. One of the main reasons that there are so many species and animals living within this biome is due to the constant warm weather. It also supplies an almost 100% chance of water and food for the animals within. Small animals, including monkeys, birds, snakes, rodents, frogs and lizards are most common in tropical rainforests. Most of these animals and some insects rema...
Most of the species from habitat one are Diptera. There was a total of thirteen Diptera’s in habitat one. Cup one had the least amount of individual species with four. Habitat two had more individual species than habitat one. There was a total of seventy-nine species from habitat two. Like in habitat one most of of the arthropods from habitat two were Diptera. The was a total of eighteen Diptera’s in habitat two. Cup six had most of the Diptera’s with thirteen. Orthoptera was second in the number of individuals with sixteen. Orthoporea’s are crickets and
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura. The order Anura is broken down into 22 different families of frogs and toads. Although they belong to the same order, frogs and toads are different in a lot of ways. Some of the more distinct differences are their skin and where they live. Frogs usually have smooth moist skin and toads usually have dry watery looking skin. Frogs spend most of their lives in or near water and toads spend more time on land. Amphibian means "double life." Frogs and toads each have two parts to their lives: when they live on water and when they live land. A frog's life starts in the water when it is hatched from an egg as a tadpole. A tadpole looks very different from an adult frog. A tadpole has a tail, no limbs, and breathes through gills. After a while the tadpole goes through metamorphosis. During the change the frog grows limbs, the tail disappears, it uses lungs to breathe, and it doesn't have to live in water anymore. As a tadpole, the frog feeds mostly on vegetation. The tadpoles have a small rasping mouth suited especially for scraping algea from the bottom of ponds. Depending on the species, it can take a few weeks to a year or more for the tadpoles to become fully grown. Not all frogs hatch as tadpoles. Some species of frogs hatch as froglets. Froglets look just like adult frogs but are a lot smaller. Froglets don't go through a metamophosis. Most species that hatch as froglets are found in dry places. Frogs who live in dry places where rains are seasonal have to grow up quickly because a tadpole will die if their temporary pond dries up. Adult frogs can live in water or on land, but it always needs to be near water so its respiratory organs don't dry out.
Most frogs have teeth only on their upper jaw. Toads swallow their prey in one piece. To aid in the swallowing process, the frog’s eyes sink through the openings in the skull and force the food down its throat. Frogs eat insects, catching them with their long sticky tongue. They also eat small fish and worms. They also absorb concentrate to make them stronger, and toxins (poisonous substances) in their fatty tissues.
The gastric brooding frog, Rheobatrachus silus swallowed its eggs, kept its young in its stomach and gave birth through its mouth (figure 1). Unfortunately this frog became extinct in 1983.