How did the Poison Arrow Frog get its name?
The poison arrow or poison dart frogs (Phyllobates, Dendrobates, Epipedobates sp. amongst others) live in the Amazon. The frogs secrete substance that Native Americans use coat the tips of their arrows with. The substance is a very strong neurotoxin that kills anything that eats the frog. It also kills anything that the arrow hits. It was very useful because it meant that an arrow that hit, say, the leg or belly of an animal that the Native Americans wanted to kill would still be fatal. This gave a lot more margin for innacuracy as a head-or-heart shot was not essential if you wanted dinner.
