Poison Dart Frog Question

[jody]

I read they are not poisonous in captivity. what is it that makes them toxic? as aposed to my fire bellys which are always toxic.

[John]

Studies have shown that much of the toxic content of Dendrobatid skin is derived from the food that they consume in their natural habitat. Those in captivity can lose much of their toxicity simply because they don't receive the same foods as their relatives in the wild. I can't say much about fire belly toads but I believe their toxicity is not in the same realm as that of a dart frog, and the toads don't derive their toxins from their food. The other factor to consider is that all fire belly toads are collected from the wild, while many (most?) of the dartfrogs we see for sale are captive bred.

[FrogFreak]

John is right.I read in a book I have that some people went to study the dart frog's habitat and discovered that they got their toxin from ants.The ants where feeding off of certain plants and then the frog eats the ants and gets the substance into itself from the plants the ants ate.

[FrogFreak]

Does anybody know a website that provides a list containing info on the known dart frog species?

[Kurt]

What kind of info are you looking for? This site has a lot of amphibian info in general - http://www.livingunderworld.org/

[FrogFreak]

Thanks Kurt...This may be what I need!

[Kurt]

Your welcome

[Marilu]

May I suggest keeping this website in mind for dart frog information? www.saurian.net
This is Patrick Nabors website. He raises and breeds frogs and has supplied zoos all around the country with frogs. His expertise is impeccable and his knowledge is great. He is also an all round nice guy! He sold me my three new d. auratus (which, by the way, are fantastic) and is willing to answer questions, if you're a newbie like me.

Good luck to you!