The **poison dart frogs of Colombia** are in danger and **wildlife trafficking** is one of the main culprits.
The country is the second with the greatest diversity of frogs, of which **417 are endemic**, meaning they only inhabit this nation.
## This is how the poison dart frogs of Colombia are
The dendrobatids (*Dendrobatidae*) are a family of anuran amphibians (tailless) known as poison dart frogs. There are **203 taxonomized species** and all of them are endemic to **Central America and South America**.
These frogs are distinguished by their **shiny and colorful skin**, a characteristic known as aposematism that warns other animals to stay away from them.
The color range goes from a very bright orange, through bluish black to yellow and red.
The size of the specimens **varies from 1 to 6 centimeters in length**, depending on age and species. They are called “poisonous” because they have **numerous highly toxic alkaloids** (and sometimes lethal) that they accumulate in their skin.
## The trafficking of endangered frogs
One of the families facing the greatest risk of extinction is *Dendrobatidae*, to which the commonly known poison dart frogs belong.
Many of their species have very restricted habitats, so any threat they face puts them at serious risk. The **International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List** classifies most of them in the categories “Vulnerable” (**VU**), “Endangered” (**EN**), and “Critically Endangered” (**CR**).
In addition to having small geographic ranges, several populations of poison dart frogs from the genera *Oophaga*, *Phyllobates*, and *Andinobates* are declining due to their **extraction from the wild for illegal trafficking**.
That is why the objective of a recent scientific article prepared by researchers from **WCS** in Colombia and the United States, published at the end of 2024 in the journal *Conservation Science and Practice*, analyzes what is happening with the **trafficking of six endemic Colombian species**.
## The conclusions
“Our analyses show that, for more than two decades, the international trade of these frogs included in CITES, probably in violation of the Convention, resulted in **significant exports** (and probably higher financial benefits) in countries outside the distribution area of these species, through captive breeding programs,” the article indicates.
“Although **the market was reconfigured when Colombia legalized the export of certain endemic frogs**, countries outside the distribution area of these species, with parents obtained from unknown and **possibly illegal sources**, continue to represent a significant part of the trade volume of some species (mainly, *Phyllobates spp.*),” emphasizes the research.
Germán Forero, scientific director of WCS Colombia, pointed out that the six endemic frog species they worked with in the article belong to Appendix 2 of CITES.
In other words, these are species that may experience a decline, so **trade subject to specific controls and permits is required** to ensure their survival. Likewise, for this reason, all transactions must be reported by the exporting and importing countries.
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