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New poison frog species discovered in Colombia mongabay.com August 28, 2007
The scientists who made the discovery say very little is known about the species other than it belongs to a group of highly venomous "dart fogs." "The importance of this project is not just the discovery of the new frog," said Oswaldo Cortes, team leader and one of the winners of the 2007 Conservation Leadership Programme awards. "But, most importantly, what this new discovery shows is how little we still know about our planet, and the many species that haven't yet been discovered. This is why it is so important to work with local communities and educate them about the need for conservation."
Poison dart frogs, colorful amphibians with skin secretions so toxic that they are used by indigenous populations to poison the tips of hunting arrows, are one of several groups of animals capable of sequestering deadly compounds from dietary sources without being harmed. Related "Extinct" frog rediscovered in Colombia Researchers exploring a Colombian mountain range found surviving members of a species of Harlequin frog believed extinct due to a killer fungus wiping out amphibian populations in Central and South America. Why poison dart frogs are poisonous Mites -- not ants as long believed -- appear to be the primary source of toxins used by poison arrow frogs to defend against predators, reports new research published in the early online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Comments? News options
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