Monday, July 31, 2006
Little Blue Friend
One last thing - At the aquarium, I met the Poison Dart Frog. Even though the black and green one was fascinating, it was the electric blue frog that captured my complete attention when it hopped out from beneath the cover of leaves. This frog just knocked my socks off. I took at least five pictures of the little guy and his more ordinary looking buddy.
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The little blue guy is a Dendrobates (poison dart frog genus) azureus (blue), or Blue Poison Dart Frog. They were discovered way back in 1968, and stay pretty much in the Sipaliwni savanna in southern Suriname.
They don't live long in the wild, but can live up to 10 years in captivity with proper care (leave it to the experts, folks. D. azureus, like all Rainforest frogs, deserves dignity, and not your toddler's bedroom! Don't support illegal pet trade!) The males make a series of quiet calls (gee gee gee gee gee), and it's difficult to hear them in a noisy exhibit area. The bright blue color is part of the frog's defense system - a warning to other creatures that it is poisonous. Each frog can contain an average of 200 micrograms of poison, and only 2 micrograms would be fatal to an adult human.
These are my favorite frogs!
Thank you so much, Annie! I have always loved frogs, but these photos are gems. Thanks, Autrice, for all that good stuff.
wow! I didn't even know there was such a thing as blue frog. thanks for this - what a great colour!
Now THAT is a frog! Beautiful colour. Thanks for sharing.
What stunning, amazing creatures...they look unreal.
Hey Annie ~ I have had you and your Mom in my thoughts...I pray for her continued improvement.
I'm so happy to hear that you and your siblings had such a special time together. That is so wonderful...
Wow! that little blue chap is just the ticket isn't he. Imagine how gorgeous a blue frog brooch would be just that colour, may be in ceramic, or enamelled or if rich alapis lazuli mmmmh! That beach just took my breath away, how beautiful, and my head is now whirling with a mixture of Beach Boy lyrics and Steinbeck quotes, and I'm off in fantasy land. Love xx
Oh my, isn't he magnificent! Wonderful colour, so royal looking.
They are both fascinating, but the blue one really does catch the eye. In the bottom picture it looks as if you asked them to pose for you, all lined up as they are.
Beautiful pics Annie - the boys are out for the night but they'll be thrilled to see them when they get back tomorrow! Thanks for leading me back to here :-)
These look just like these little plastic frogs my son has! I wouldn't have thought they were real. Neat.
:)
gorgeous frogs - great photos!
It is pretty amazing that this beautiful blue frog is poisonous! I wonder, how would someone get poisoned by it? From eating it? By just holding it??
Susanna
(Follow up to Annie's email)
Excellent question, Susanna! Exhibit handlers usually put on latex gloves to pick these guys up. There is a huge debate in the field... some scientists insist that the PD frog poison can be absorbed through the skin. Others feel the poison (which the frogs excrete through their own skin) can only enter our body through exposed wounds or cuts in our skin. In this frog's case, should poison enter your system, you'd probably have enough time to say "What a cute..." before you started to feel the effects. It's always best to handle them with latex gloves, and to make sure that you do not touch your face or mouth, or rub your eyes, until you have washed up.
Some tribes in the Rainforest dip their arrow and spear tips in the frog poison. The effect, as you can imagine, is quite deadly... and this is why these critters are called "Poison Dart Frogs".
As a strange tidbit... certain toads also excrete toxins, and people lick them to experience a narcotic effect. I wouldn't recommend you start licking amphibians! Please remember to always wash your hands after you have handled any species of amphibian or reptile, as they carry bacteria.
What cool little froggies! Great pics!
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