Thursday, 6 August 2015

Frogs from Hell: Their Venomous Head Spikes Could Kill You


by Charles Q. Choi, Live Science Contributor | August 06, 2015 12:23pm ET

In the wilds of Brazil, researchers have discovered frogs with venomous spikes on their heads.

Although scientists have long known of poisonous frogs, these are the first venomous frogs — that is, they not only secrete poison, but are armed with weapons that can deliver this poison into victims.

Most amphibians, such as frogs, newts and salamanders, concentrate or secrete poisons in skin glands to ward off predators. Frogs include some of the most toxic animals on Earth — for instance, the 2-inch-long (5-centimeter) golden poison dart frog has enough toxin to kill 10 grown men, and the indigenous Emberá people of Colombia have used its poison for centuries in blowgun darts.

No comments:

Post a Comment

You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!

Related Posts with Thumbnails

ShareThis