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Costa Rica - Photo Gallery |
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Poison Arrow Frog
- The bright-red and blue poison arrow frog (Dendrobates pumilio) can be easily spotted hopping through the leaf litter in the Caribbean lowlands, especially early in the morning or after a rain shower.
The red pigmentation of this frog acts as a clear warning of its toxicity to potential predators. It is thought that the toxic alkaloids found in the ants and termites that the frog feeds on accumulate in its body. When stressed, the frog secretes these substances through its skin, an action that can cause effects ranging from nausea to paralysis and cardiac arrest in any animal naive enough to ingest it.
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© Adrian Hepworth 2003-2006. Licensed to CentralAmerica.Com, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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