Scientists Successfully Breed Rare Species of Blue Poison Dart Frog

Experts from Walford & North Shropshire College for the first time have successfully bred a rare species of frog in their laboratory called the 'Blue Poison Dart Frog. These are some of the most toxic animals on Earth and venom from one can kill ten men.

The 2.5 cm long blue poison dart frog belongs to the family of Dendrobatidae and is mostly found in the tropical forests of Costa Rica and Brazil.  In the wild these poison darts are very toxic but when they are held in captivity, the levels of toxicity drops.

Far from the tropical forests one can now spot the beautiful brightly colored dart frogs in a tank in Walford &North Shropshire College.  All credit goes to Simon Metcalfe, the animal care technician who is the lead of the project.   

In September 2012, the experts got a pair of the frogs from a student at Walford campus who could no longer look after the frogs as he planned on joining the army. These frogs were thought to be vulnerable in the wild due to the destruction of habitat.

Before being donated, the frogs had laid eggs several times but they had never reached the tadpole stage due to inadequate care.

The experts took care to provide the pair with the best possible environment for breeding and they obliged.

The fertilized egg were placed inside a pond where the water temperature was 27 C and had UV lights that helped in creating the natural habitat of the frog, reports Daily Mail.

Simon Metcalfe, the animal care technician said in a press statement, "After researching environmental conditions required and their breeding behavior a few adjustments were made and we waited for the first clutch of eggs to be laid.  By the 15th May all our research and effort had paid off and our first froglet was moved out of water and on to dry land, its metamorphosis now complete. The whole process of egg to froglet took approximately 12 weeks."

The frog raised in the lab is no longer toxic due to changes in the diet after captivity.  The experts are successfully managing to grow more tadpoles that will be kept at the Walford campus for students and visitors to view.