Yellow banded poison dart frog - can you pick one up?

Dendrobates leucomelas, also known as the bumble bee poison arrow frog.

I have written numerous blogs on the poisonous skin of amphibians (cane toad, rough-skinned newt, etc).  The toxins contained in the skin itself or in cutaneous glands can be formidable.  Most of the time, the active chemicals are produced by the animals themselves and are only toxic when ingested.  Neither point is true for members of Dendrobatidae (poison dart frog group).

The poisons of the Dendrobatidae are somewhat varied but are all alkaloids.  Alkaloids as a group are potent chemicals, many with familiar names such as nicotine, caffeine, cocaine, and strychnine.  They are all nasty chemicals that affect parts of the nervous system and can cause organ failure and death in sufficient doses.  Most alkaloids come from plants, such as members of the nightshades.

Poison dart frogs do not create their own poisons.  They get them from the invertebrates they eat.  But they in turn do not create their own poisons either.  The invertebrates, mostly ants, mites, millipedes and the like, get the alkaloids from the plants they eat.  And, just as environmental toxins build in concentration up the food chain, so does it for the frogs.  The deadly toxins consumed from the myriad of meals all get stored in their skin.

As I mentioned earlier, normally an amphibian has to be eaten for the toxins to take effect.  Not so with the Dendrobatidae.  The toxins can be absorbed directly into the skin.  Picking up a poison dart frog will guarantee you a bad day.  Normally.  But there is an exception.

Poison dart frogs, such as the yellow-banded variety above, will not collect those alkaloids when kept in captivity.  Their meals are insects, such as crickets, that do not contain any poisons.  Since the frogs cannot make their own, their skin is devoid of the deadly chemicals.  So, in theory, you could pick one up.  Unless the frog is a recent captive.  Or if it has been fed alkaloid-loaded foods.  Or maybe, just maybe, I am wrong.  Well, are you feeling lucky?

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com