A Passion for Poison Dart Frogs
National Aquarium staff care for hundreds of poison dart frogs in our Hidden Life and Upland Tropical Rain Forest exhibits, treating each population differently based on their habitat.
- Animals
The National Aquarium's Upland Tropical Rain Forest and Hidden Life exhibits are each home to their own populations of poison dart frogs. The frogs in Upland Tropical Rain Forest free-roam in the 4,081-square-foot exhibit, thriving for over 25 years with minimal staff intervention. In Hidden Life, frogs live in specialized habitats that allow our team to meticulously watch over and track each one throughout its lifespan. Due to the differences in their habitats, different kinds of care keep both populations of poison dart frogs flourishing.
How Poisonous Are They?
Poison dart frogs are one of the most poisonous species on the planet. In South America, aboriginal people poisoned the tips of blowdarts with the frogs' toxic skin secretions, hence their name! Wild frogs eat insects and other arthropods that have various toxins, including batrachotoxin. The frogs accumulate and concentrate these toxic compounds and secrete them through their skin. But the poison dart frogs at the Aquarium eat domesticated insects like pinhead crickets and fruit flies, so they don't produce toxins!
Hopping On By
The free-roaming poison dart frogs in Upland Tropical Rain Forest thrive on their own because the exhibit is its own ecosystem. Thanks to decades of dedicated plant care, the exhibit is lush with bioactivity and attracts insects like isopods and springtails for the frogs to eat.
Their self-sufficiency makes them a "wild" population, but Aquarium staff still monitor them and provide supplemental feedings. Two to three times a week, herpetologists feed the frogs fruit flies and crickets in the areas where they're most often seen. These feedings help staff check on the frogs and add powdered vitamins and minerals to their diet.
Herpetologists walk through the rain forest several times a day to record how many frogs they see and where. They usually find them in areas with leaf litter and rocks, like the area underneath the stairs to the upper deck. When looking for frogs, staff step carefully because they never know where a frog might be hiding. Guests visiting Upland Tropical Rain Forest should never stray from the path to avoid walking into a frog's home!
"Ribbiting" Data Collection
Hidden Life's controlled environment allows staff easy access to provide hands-on care and collect data about frogs throughout their lifespan. Each frog has a photo ID card that includes pictures of its unique patterns for easy identification. The card also lists its sex, lineage, species, major life events and an abbreviated medical history to keep important information on hand.
"Tracking each frog improves their wellbeing and teaches us which husbandry practices work best," explains Jessica Nelson, assistant curator of Upland Tropical Rain Forest and Australia: Wild Extremes. "If we treat a frog, we don't know if the treatment solves the issue long-term unless we track the individual. Tracking their medical history helps us understand the root cause of any issues and see what's successful."
Herpetologists collect data through routine assessments like daily visual checks and quarterly exams. Daily visual checks involve looking at each habitat to record how many frogs they see and track their food intake. During quarterly hands-on assessments, herpetologists weigh the frogs, examine their skin and feet, and assess their body condition—how fat and muscle are spread out on their body. Before handling the frogs, which have sensitive and permeable skin, staff clean their hands and wet them with chlorine-free water.
Collecting data helps us better care for the frogs in Upland Tropical Rain Forest and Hidden Life—and benefits poison dart frog populations all over the world. The Aquarium team contributes data to scientific research, sharing information about poison dart frogs' lifespans, patterns and reproduction with other experts to further the study of these fascinating amphibians.