Don’t Lick This Frog!

    Scared? Don’t be. You probably won’t see one of these frogs unless you travel to Colombia. That’s a country in South America. These candy-colored creatures live in a rainforest there. 

    Rainforests are some of the most amazing places on Earth. They cover just 6 percent of Earth’s surface. But they are home to more than half of the world’s plant and animal species.  These include beautiful blue lizards and pink dolphins that leap out of crystal-clear rivers.

    The tiny golden poison dart frog lives on the forest floor in the Chocó rainforest. If you spot one, don’t get too close. But you don’t have to run away screaming either. Poison frogs don’t bite or sting. Their poison is inside their bodies, just under their skin. When a frog is threatened, the poison oozes through its skin—kind of like sweat.  

    The frog’s poison is deadly only if it gets into a victim’s body. So unless you’re planning to lick a golden frog, you don’t have to worry.

    Scared? Don’t be. You probably won’t see one of these frogs unless you’re in Colombia. That’s a country in South America. The frogs live in a rainforest there.

    Rainforests are amazing places. They cover just 6 percent of Earth’s surface. But they are home to more than half of the world’s plant and animal species. These include beautiful blue lizards and pink dolphins that swim in rivers.

    The golden poison dart frog lives in the Chocó rainforest. If you spot one, don’t get too close. But you don’t have to panic either. Poison frogs don’t bite or sting. Their poison is inside their bodies, just under their skin. When a frog is threatened, the poison oozes through its skin—kind of like sweat.  

    The frog’s poison is deadly only if it gets into a victim’s body. So unless you lick a golden frog, you’re safe.

    These frogs shouldn’t frighten you, however. You probably won’t come across one unless you travel to Colombia, a country in South America. These candy-colored creatures live in a rainforest there.

    Rainforests are some of the most amazing places on Earth. They cover just 6 percent of Earth’s surface, but they are home to more than half of the world’s plant and animal species—including beautiful blue lizards and pink dolphins that leap out of crystal-clear rivers.

    The tiny golden poison dart frog lives on the forest floor in the Chocó rainforest. If you spot one, don’t get too close—but you don’t have to run away screaming either. Poison frogs don’t bite or sting. Their poison is inside their bodies, just under their skin. When a frog is threatened, the poison oozes through its skin—kind of like sweat.  

    The frog’s poison is deadly only if it gets into a victim’s body—so unless you’re planning to lick a golden frog, you don’t have to worry.

    But what if someone did lick one?

    Death would be quick. First, they’d go numb. Their heart would pound. Boom! Boom! Boom! They’d gasp. Their muscles would freeze . . . you get the idea. 

    The frog’s poison is a chemical known as BTX. It’s one of nature’s strongest toxins. But even though it’s so deadly, it could actually help humans one day.  

    That may sound surprising. But chemicals from other poisonous plants and animals have already been used to create lifesaving medicines. Scientists believe that BTX might treat people with heart problems or relieve pain.  

    Who knew that a little frog could be so powerful? 

    But what if you did lick one?

    Death would be quick. First, you’d go numb. Your heart would pound. Boom! Boom! Boom! You’d gasp. Your muscles would freeze . . . you get the idea.

    The frog’s poison is a chemical known as BTX. It’s one of nature’s strongest toxins. And it might help humans one day.  

    Does that surprise you? Well, chemicals from other poisonous plants and animals have already been used to make medicines. BTX might treat people with heart problems. It might relieve pain.  

    Who knew a little frog could be so powerful? 

    But what if someone did lick one?

    Death would be quick. First, they’d go numb. Their heart would pound. Boom! Boom! Boom! They’d gasp. Their muscles would freeze . . . you get the idea.

    The frog’s poison, a chemical known as BTX, is among nature’s strongest toxins. Although it’s deadly, it could actually benefit humans one day.  

    That might sound surprising, but chemicals from other poisonous plants and animals have already been used to create lifesaving medicines. Scientists believe that BTX might be valuable as a treatment for people with heart problems or as a painkiller.  

    Who knew that a little frog could be so powerful?