Deep in the tropical forests of Colombia,
you come across a small, beautiful frog.
You're captivated by its brilliant color
and reach out to hold it in your hand.
Within seconds,
your hand starts to go numb.
Something's wrong.
Something is terribly wrong.
The effects quickly spread
throughout your body.
What is happening?
There are over 175 species
of poison dart frogs in Colombia,
Costa Rica and Brazil.
Three of them have a toxin so potent
that hunters use them on their darts.
Despite its tiny size of about
1-5 cm (0.5-2 in),
the golden poison frog
has enough venom
to kill 10 average-sized men.
The frogs' bright colors warn off
potential predators.
Over time,
predators have learned that
the more colorful frogs
are more toxic
and avoid eating them.
The poison dart frog
doesn't transfer its toxin by biting.
It excretes the toxin through
its skin glands
and transfers it through touch.
The batrachotoxin prevents your nerves
voltage-gated sodium channels
from closing.
This causes convulsions,
muscle contractions,
respiratory and muscle paralysis.
If you touch a poison dart frog,
wash your hands immediately.
The toxin has to get into your bloodstream
to affect you.
If you wash your hands soon enough,
you might be able to stop the toxin
from entering your body.
Of course, this is assuming you don't have
any cuts on your hands.
If the toxin enters your bloodstream
through open cuts or wounds,
you could die within three minutes.
And remember not to touch your eyes,
nose or mouth.
The toxin can enter your body
there as well.
You don't have to touch the frog
for its toxin to harm you.
The toxin can remain on an object
for up to a year.
One story tells of an Army Ranger
who killed a poison dart frog
with his pocket knife.
However, the Ranger forgot to clean
his knife afterward.
A week later,
he accidentally cut himself with the knife.
Within minutes,
his heart stopped.
Although there are no completely effective
treatments or antidotes,
certain anesthetics and chemicals
can minimize the toxin's effects.
If you're lucky,
the poison dart frog you've come
in contact with
is one of the less toxic species,
like the blue poison dart frog.
In this case,
the toxin will cause cramping,
pain and stiffness.
The good news is that scientists
are using the venom
and trying to create a powerful painkiller.
So one day,
we may use the poison dart frog's
toxin to treat pain instead of creating it.
Some people keep poison dart frogs
as pets.
Should you be concerned about touching
a pet dart frog?
Not necessarily.
Some people believe the frogs develop
their toxicity
from plants carried by the frogs' prey.
Frogs raised in captivity
don't develop venom
and are perfectly safe to touch.
You've survived touching
a poison dart frog.
But to survive some of the other
deadly creatures out there,
you'll need to do more than keep
your hands to yourself.
Take the Komodo dragon, for example.
If you want to survive this deadly beast,
you'll need to run faster than you thought
you ever could.
Think you can handle that?
Find out here.