Despite our temporary closure, there are more and more additions to our collection; most recently we welcomed five golden poison dart frogs from Pécs Zoo on February 19. They have already moved into their naturalistic exhibit where you will get to check them out after we reopen. Golden poison dart frogs are pretty rare in Hungarian zoos, found only in Pécs and now here. Yet to be sexed, our new arrivals are hoped to have a male to female ratio suitable for breeding – something that several of our frog species had a lot of success with last year.
Endemic to rainforests on the Pacific coast of Columbia, golden poison dart frogs (Phyllobates terribilis) are not only the largest poison dart frog species (with a maximum length of 5.5 cm), but also the deadliest: their toxin on their skin, presumably accumulated from specific ants found in their natural habitat, can kill up to 20 people or two adult male African elephants. As an iconic evolutionary defense mechanism, poison dart frogs use their flamboyant colors – either yellow, orange or mint green for golden poison dart frogs – to warn predators of the lethal consequences of eating them. Individuals reared in human care (like our new residents), however, are absolutely harmless since they have no access to the special prey that contains the toxin. Due to rapid habitat destruction, golden poison dart frogs are listed as Endangered in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List and are also included in Appendix II of CITES.
More pics at:
Like a number of our other animals, our golden poison dart frogs are yet to be adopted. If you want to make them really happy while also offering us tremendous help, please consider becoming a zoo foster parent. Further info at:
Debrecen Zoo and Amusement Park
