---
title: "What the sources say about the Golden Poison Frog | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "52 claims from the Golden Poison Frog profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Golden Poison Frog (*Phyllobates terribilis*)

> 52 claims from the Golden Poison Frog profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Golden Poison Frog](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/golden-poison-frog/)

## Basic information and care recommendations for Phyllobates terribilis, Golden Poison Frog. Citizen Conservation, 2024.

https://citizen-conservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/CC-Breeding-Guidelines_Phyllobates-terribilis_07-2024.pdf

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Hot, very humid lowland rainforest | Phyllobates terribilis inhabits hot and very humid, hilly lowland rainforest areas from 30-400 metres above sea level. |
| in under five small areas within 1,475 square kilometres | Phyllobates terribilis only occurs in less than five small areas ... The total extent of the area in which the known sites are located is only 1,475 square kilometres |
| the poison of a single frog could kill up to ten people | The venom of a single frog could kill up to ten people. |
| Large females reach 4.7 cm long and males 4.5 cm | Large females reach 4.7 cm in length, the males remain somewhat smaller at 4.5 cm. |
| Their life expectancy in a terrarium is 8 to 15 years. | Phyllobates terribilis has a life expectancy of 8-15 years in the terrarium. |
| one of the strongest toxins in the animal kingdom | The batrachotoxin of Phyllobates terribilis is one of the strongest toxins in the animal kingdom |
| The poison of a single frog could kill up to ten people | The venom of a single frog could kill up to ten people. |
| under five small areas of the Cauca department | Phyllobates terribilis only occurs in less than five small areas in the catchment area of the Río Saija as well as the Río Naya and in Boca Yurumanguí in the Colombian Departamento de Cauca. |
| It is hot, very humid, hilly lowland forest, 30 to 400 metres above sea level | Phyllobates terribilis inhabits hot and very humid, hilly lowland rainforest areas from 30-400 metres above sea level. |
| with around 4,000 mm of rain a year | The annual precipitation is around 4,000 mm |
| the known sites lie within an area of only 1,475 square kilometres | The total extent of the area in which the known sites are located is only 1,475 square kilometres |
| the frogs live in the leaf litter on the forest floor | The Golden Poison frog lives in the ground leaf layer of both primary and secondary forests near rivers on hills or on hilltops. |
| Poison From Food | They ingest the toxin or its precursors with their food, i.e. with the microorganisms that they eat in their native habitat. |
| The frogs cannot make batrachotoxin on their own. | the frogs cannot synthesise batrachotoxin on their own. |
| They take in the toxin or its building blocks with the food they eat in the wild, though exactly how is not yet clear. | They ingest the toxin or its precursors with their food, i.e. with the microorganisms that they eat in their native habitat. The exact processes have not yet been clarified. (note: "building blocks" defines "precursors"; "in the wild" for "in their native habitat") |
| Captivity fades the poison. | Because this food is not available in the terrarium, frogs taken from the wild gradually lose their toxicity over a period of months. |
| Without that food in a terrarium, wild-caught frogs gradually lose their toxicity over months, and captive-bred frogs are generally non-toxic to humans. | Because this food is not available in the terrarium, frogs taken from the wild gradually lose their toxicity over a period of months. Captive-bred frogs, such as those distributed by Citizen Conservation, are generally non-toxic to humans. |
| a traditional method now rarely practised | This traditional hunting method is now rarely practised. |
| its populations continue to decline | with populations continuing to decline |
| The main threat is the ongoing destruction of its rainforest through deforestation for agriculture, the spread of human settlements and mining. | The main threat to the species is the ongoing destruction of the rainforest through deforestation for agriculture, the expansion of human settlements and mining. |
| Herbicide pollution from cereal crops grown in its habitat is a threat too. | Environmental pollution from herbicides due to cereals grown in the habitat are also a threat factor. |
| The poison of a single golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis) could kill up to ten people. | The venom of a single frog could kill up to ten people. |
| Its batrachotoxin is one of the strongest toxins in the animal kingdom. | The batrachotoxin of Phyllobates terribilis is one of the strongest toxins in the animal kingdom |
| Golden poison frogs cannot make batrachotoxin on their own: they take in the toxin or its building blocks with the food they eat in the wild. | the frogs cannot synthesise batrachotoxin on their own. They ingest the toxin or its precursors with their food, i.e. with the microorganisms that they eat in their native habitat. |
| That food is not available in a terrarium, where wild-caught frogs gradually lose their toxicity over months and captive-bred frogs are generally non-toxic to humans. | Because this food is not available in the terrarium, frogs taken from the wild gradually lose their toxicity over a period of months. Captive-bred frogs, such as those distributed by Citizen Conservation, are generally non-toxic to humans. |

## Golden Poison Frog. National Geographic.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/facts/golden-poison-frog

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| on Colombia's Pacific coast | They live within a tiny plot of rain forest on the Pacific coast of Colombia. |
| both weigh less than an ounce | Weight : Less than 1 ounce |
| A Tiny Corner of Colombia | They live within a tiny plot of rain forest on the Pacific coast of Colombia. |
| Golden poison frogs live in a tiny plot of rainforest on Colombia's Pacific coast | They live within a tiny plot of rain forest on the Pacific coast of Colombia. |
| The indigenous Emberá people of Colombia have used the frog's poison for centuries to tip their blowgun darts when hunting | The indigenous Emberá people of Colombia have used its powerful venom for centuries to tip their blowgun darts when hunting |

## Poison Frog. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/poison-frog

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Considered the most poisonous animal in the world | The golden poison frog is considered to be the most poisonous animal in the world, producing enough nerve toxin at once to kill 10 humans. |
| a frog no larger than a bottle cap | A single golden poison frog, which is no larger than a bottle cap, can supply enough poison for 30 to 50 darts |
| produces enough nerve toxin at once to kill 10 people | The golden poison frog is considered to be the most poisonous animal in the world, producing enough nerve toxin at once to kill 10 humans. |
| Small Frog, Enormous Poison | The golden poison frog is considered to be the most poisonous animal in the world, producing enough nerve toxin at once to kill 10 humans. |
| is no larger than a bottle cap | A single golden poison frog, which is no larger than a bottle cap, can supply enough poison for 30 to 50 darts |
| it is considered the most poisonous animal in the world | The golden poison frog is considered to be the most poisonous animal in the world, producing enough nerve toxin at once to kill 10 humans. |
| The Choco people of western Colombia used waxy leaves to pick up golden poison frogs and dipped their blow darts in the frogs' skin secretions. | the Choco people of western Colombia use the poison of one species, the golden poison frog, to coat the tips of the blow darts they use for hunting. The Choco use waxy leaves to pick up the frogs and dip their blow darts in the frogs' skin secretions. (note: past tense on purpose: Citizen Conservation (2024) says "This traditional hunting method is now rarely practised.") |
| A single frog can supply enough poison for 30 to 50 darts, and the dart's poison remains active for up to a year. | A single golden poison frog, which is no larger than a bottle cap, can supply enough poison for 30 to 50 darts, and the dart's poison remains active for up to a year. |

## Phyllobates terribilis. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Phyllobates_terribilis/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Mostly ants, plus termites and small beetles | Golden poison frogs are insectivores and prey primarily on species of Brachymyrmex and Paratrechina ants. They also consume small invertebrates such as termites and beetles. |
| hunted by day on the forest floor | Golden poison frogs are diurnal and strictly terrestrial. |
| Batrachotoxin acts on the sodium channels of nerve and muscle cells: it keeps the channels open and depolarizes the cells irreversibly, which may lead to arrhythmias, fibrillation and eventually cardiac failure. | These compounds are extremely potent modulators of voltage-gated sodium channels. They keep the channels open and depolarize nerve and muscle cells irreversibly. This damaging action may lead to arrhythmias, fibrillation, and eventually cardiac failure. |
| Active by day | Golden poison frogs are diurnal and strictly terrestrial. |
| hunting mostly ants, along with termites and small beetles | Golden poison frogs are insectivores and prey primarily on species of Brachymyrmex and Paratrechina ants. They also consume small invertebrates such as termites and beetles. |
| a skin poison, batrachotoxin | Their skin is saturated in an alkaloid poison that contains batrachotoxins. (note: vibe.reason) |
| keeps the sodium channels of nerve and muscle cells open and depolarizes them irreversibly | They keep the channels open and depolarize nerve and muscle cells irreversibly. (note: vibe.reason; replaces "intense neurotoxic energy", a mood. A mechanism, not a record, so ADW's date does not bite) |

## Poison frogs. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/poison-frogs

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Secretes batrachotoxin and is the most toxic of all frog species | including the golden poison frog, the most toxic of all frog species ... The golden frog secretes the alkaloid toxin batrachotoxin |
| the Smithsonian's National Zoo calls it the most toxic of all frog species | including the golden poison frog, the most toxic of all frog species. |

## Phyllobates terribilis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T55264A85887889.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2017-3.rlts.t55264a85887889.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The IUCN lists the golden poison frog as Endangered | IUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN). |

## Daly et al. (1980). Levels of Batrachotoxin and Lack of Sensitivity to Its Action in Poison-Dart Frogs (Phyllobates). Science.

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.6246586

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Its skin holds remarkably high amounts of batrachotoxin | Batrachotoxin is present in remarkably high amounts in the skin of Phyllobates terribilis. |
| frogs kept in captivity for up to 6 years were still at least five times more toxic than other Phyllobates species used to poison blowgun darts | Levels of batrachotoxin tend to be reduced when P. terribilis is maintained in captivity, but even after being confined for up to 6 years, these frogs were still at least five times more toxic than other Phyllobates species used by natives for poisoning blowgun darts. |
| frogs bred and raised to adulthood in captivity had no detectable batrachotoxin | Batrachotoxin was not detectable in F1 progeny reared to maturity in captivity. |

## Dumbacher et al. (2004). Melyrid beetles (Choresine): A putative source for the batrachotoxin alkaloids found in poison-dart frogs and toxic passerine birds. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0407197101

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| One study has suggested that beetles of the family Melyridae in Colombian rainforests could be the source of the batrachotoxin in the Phyllobates frogs there. | The family Melyridae is cosmopolitan, and relatives in Colombian rain forests of South America could be the source of the batrachotoxins found in the highly toxic Phyllobates frogs of that region. (note: genus scope kept (Phyllobates frogs of that region); hedge kept ("could be")) |