The species of ameerega petersi is known as a poison dart frog. It is usually less than one inch in body length. Its genus name, Dendrobates, comes from the Greek word dendro which means tree and the word bates which means walker. These small frogs can walk or hop up trees. They move very fast and are great jumpers. Their hind legs are powerful which helps them jump. One characterization of this little frog is the divided, thick pads of skin on the upper part of the fingers and toes. Their skin is toxic and they are usually very brightly colored. The glands in the skin produce a variety of noxious substances. These help to protect the little frogs from predators. The substances in their skin are nitrogen that contains chemicals with alkaloids in it. It was once thought that these alkaloids were only found in plants.  

 

This particular species is found in Peru and Brazil. Some people refer to it as a Peruvian poison dart frog. It lives mostly in the rain forest. Its habitat is the leaf litter on the forest floor, yet they like to climb the trees and vines in the forest. These frogs lay their eggs among the litter of the forest floor. Tadpoles are hatched from the eggs. The male will sit among the tadpoles when they are born. The tadpoles will wiggle up the parent’s leg and attach themselves to its back. The male then carries the hatched tadpoles on its back to pools of water or slow moving streams. He will submerge himself in the water and the tadpoles will eventually dislodge and swim away. The sticky chemical on the tadpoles dissolves easily and does not harm the tadpole. The parent frogs are then finished with the care of the eggs and tadpoles. The tadpoles reside in the water until they develop arms and legs and evolve into a small frog. The mother comes about every 5 days to deposit eggs in the water for the tadpoles to eat.

 

The male frogs will fight each other to establish their territory. These male frogs are very territorial. The female frog is not territorial. Once they have established their territory they will stay there for the remainder of the mating season. The male goes through an elaborate ritual to attract its mate. He makes a series of trilling sounds. The mating usually will occur during the rainy season. Rubbing against each other is part of the mating behavior. The female lays up to six eggs. The eggs take approximately two weeks to hatch. Once the male deposits them in the water they will take another six weeks to develop.

 

The diet of the frog consists mainly of small insect like spiders and ants. Some of these insects t have high quantities of alkaloids in their tissues. The frogs can keep those alkaloids in their skin, which is what makes them poisonous. These frogs protect themselves from predators such as snakes and hawks by secreting poisons from the skin. Its secretions are lethal. A predator faces death if it licks or eats one of them. Their bright coloring acts as a warning to predators that the frog is deadly. These frog poisons are the most powerful animal poisons known. Fewer frogs are eaten during the day, when predators can recognize them as dangerous. The frogs capture their prey by using their sticky, retractable tongues as well as their excellent eyesight. The frogs can be deadly for humans who pick them up or drink water where one of these frogs has just been in.        

 

These frogs eat insects which can help control diseases. The alkaloids that the frogs ingest may become useful for medical purposes. Some of the components of the toxins in the frog are similar to that of cocaine and morphine. They are being used to develop an improved pain killer. The poison they secret has been used for years by the natives to make poison darts which were used for protection and hunting. In this way, these frogs are important to human beings. Their environment is threatened by the loss of rain forests, cultivation, the building of dams and humans. They need moisture to stay alive. Humans try to capture these frogs, breed them and make exotic pets of them. They do well in captivity. Frogs that are kept in captivity and fed a diet of insects without alkaloids will lose their toxicity.

 

Author: Jayde D

Published: 02/2010

 

Sources:

Caldwell, Janalee P. "Poison frogs." Wiki Answers. Answeres Corporation. Web. Answers.com

"Poison Frogs." Poisonfrogs. Web. poisonfrogs.com

 

Wittaker, Kellie. "Ameerega Petersi." Amphibia Web. Web. <Amphibia Web.com>.

IUCN. 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded

on 23 November 2004.

 

Myers, C.W., Rodriguez, L.O. and Icochea, J. 1998. Epipedobates simulans, A New Criptic

Species of Poison Frog from Southeastern Peru, with Notes on E. macero and E. petersi

(Dendrobatidae). American Museum Novitates: 2.

 

Silverstone, P.A. 1976. A revision of the poison arrow frogs of the genus Phyllobates Bibron

in Sagra (Family Dendrobatidae). Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Science

Bulletin: 1-53.

 

Photo credit:

Remco Stuster from shockfrog.com