Dyeing Poison Dart Frog by Ken _Gilliland

Poser • Animals • posted on Jun 02, 2017

Open full image in new tab Zoom on image

Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.

Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.

Description

The Dyeing Poison Dart Frog gets it's name not from its terminal effects but from the other form of "dying"... Local tribes use the poison from this frog for decoration. Feathers are plucked from the back of young parrots and the frogs are rubbed on the parrots' exposed skin. When the feathers regrow, the toxin causes them to appear yellow or red rather than green. These altered feathers are highly prized by the indigenous tribes. This frog produces pumiliotoxins which are weaker than the toxins many other Poison Dart Frogs produce, still they are sufficiently toxic to discourage most animals from feeding on them. These toxins cause pain, cramping, and stiffness. It breeds seasonally in the wild, usually during the rainy season (February and March). In captivity, it is known to breed year round. Males position themselves on a rock or a leaf and produce quiet calls in order to attract a female. Females then follow these calls to locate the male. Once found, females fight aggressively over the male. Afterwards, the victorious female begins the courtship ritual by gently stroking his snout and dorsal surface with her forelegs. Courtship may also involve chasing and wrestling between the male and female. Finally, the male leads the female to a secluded location of his choosing near a water source to mate and lay eggs. With this pressure from illegal trade and shrinking habitat, this species has become one of the most threatened of all the poison dart frogs in the neotropics. Rendered in Poser without any post work. Models include Nerd3D's "The Glen", DinoRaul's Trees201204, rDNA's Moss and jungle plants and my Nature's Wonders Saguaro Habitat (rock), Frogs and Frogs of the World Volume 2.