
Two new species of frogs have been discovered whose venom is more deadly than a pit viper's.
According to KRGW news, Scientists have made a surprising new discovery of two species of frog that are capable of injecting venom into predators using spines protruding from the front of their skulls. One of these species, the Corythomantis greening, is twice as strong as the venom of a pit-viper. Another, the Corythomantis golden, has sufficient toxin to kill 10 grown males. For this reason, the indigenous Emberá individuals of Colombia have used its poison for hundreds of years in blowgun darts.
It had been known that amphibians such as frogs, newts and salamanders, could secrete some venomous poisons in skin glands, but this method of venom delivery is completely new. “Amphibians have a wide array of skin toxins that have been well-studied, but this sort of mechanism – transmitting the toxin as a venom – has not been discovered until now,” stated one of the scientists involved in the discovery.
Due to this potent venom, these deadly frogs have no known predators. Additionally, researchers are not sure whether or not these frogs are immune to their own venom. With the benefit of this new knowledge, the researchers are now investigating several other frog species from around the world that they also suspect are venomous. The researchers claim that this discovery is extremely important for understanding amphibians’ biology and the methods by which they deal with predators.
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