Yellow-Banded Poison Frog

The brightly colored dart poison frogs of Central  and South America broadcast a visual warning to predators Do Not Eat. Many species in the frog family called in it's Latin name ( Dendrobatidae ) ooze poison through that spectacular skin as a defence against predators.

Scientists are only now unraveling the mystery of how this mecahanism evolved and how frogs maintain it.

Strawberry Poison Frog

The strawberry poison frog is one of several hundred species of small, highly toxic Amazon frogs. The bright colors typical of these frogs are warning coloration to deter prospective predators. 

Toxins in the skin are among the most poisonous in nature and so thse animals should be handled with extreme caution. They are also called "poison dart" frogs from their use by Indians as an ingredient of curare, used to coat the darts which are propelled with blow guns to kill prey.

However, some scientists dispute that the frogs are used much for this purpose ( the main ingredient of curare is derived from a plant ) and prefer these species are collectively called "poison frogs."

Although many poison frogs live all of their lives in the tree canopy, the strawberry poison frog whose Latin name is ( Dendrobates reticulatus ), is quiet comman on the forest floor. 

Some species are know larger than  a house fly, making them among the smallest vertebrates. Due to the high toxicity of skin productions, it is vital to wash hands after handling these frogs.