Newly Discovered Chemical Weapon In Poison Frogs' Arsenal
Monday, June 8, 2009 - 10:35
in Biology & Nature
New research documents a surprising chemical weapon used by some Amazonian poison frogs. The study identified for the first time a family of poisons never before known to exist in these brightly colored creatures or elsewhere in nature: the N-methyldecahydroquinolines. The authors then speculated on its origin in the frogs' diet, most likely ants.