Poison dart frog is the common name of a group of frogs in
the family Dendrobatidae which are native to Central and South America. These
species are diurnal and often have brightly colored bodies. Although all wild
dendrobatids are at least somewhat toxic, levels of toxicity vary considerably
from one species to the next and from one population to another. Many species
are threatened. These amphibians are often called "dart frogs" due to
the Amerindians' indigenous use of their toxic secretions to poison the tips of
blowdarts. However, of over 175 species, only four have been documented as
being used for this purpose, all of which come from the Phyllobates genus,
which is characterized by the relatively large size and high levels of toxicity
of its members.
