A chorus of frogs
While at the Aquarium, we got to see the Frogs: A Chorus of Colors exhibit. This was GB’s favorite exhibit.
All the kids liked watching the frog video. You can see some of the videos here.
It’s hard to get nice pictures through glass.
This is a Blue Poison Dart frog. This beautiful little guy wasn’t even discovered until 1968!
Want to know a surprise? The most poisonous creature in the world is not a snake or a spider. It’s a frog. The Golden Dart Frog (Phyllobates terribilis) contains about one milligram of poison, which is enough to kill 10,000 mice, and perhaps enough to kill 10 to 20 humans if the poison reaches their bloodstreams.
Frogs are very beneficial to us. Besides being very important in the food chain, frogs help farmers by eating billions of insects every year, and protecting valuable crops. Frog skin is coated with a protective toxin that keeps predators away and keeps bacteria and fungus from growing on their moist skin. Surprisingly, some of these toxins can be found in our own nervous and muscular systems.
Scientists are studying how frog toxins can be used to treat heart problems, viruses, cancers, depression, strokes, Alzheimer’s disease, and relief from chronic pain. In fact, some frog toxins are 200 times more effective than morphine, without the addictive side-effect!
The frogs exhibit came by here last year, too! And, we saw it 3 times I think. But, I didn’t know about the website. Thanks for the link!
Comment by Dana — March 2, 2008 @ 10:33 pm