Golden Mantella

Please note: This animal is not currently on exhibit.

Like all mantellas, Madagascar's tiny, bright-orange golden mantella secretes highly toxic chemicals that often prove deadly (or at the very least distasteful) to predators. Until recently, the question of how these frogs actually acquired their toxins was something of a mystery—one Academy entomologist Brian Fisher solved by examining their diet. The answer was a surprising one: the mandellas were eating toxic ants. 

Mantellas are active during the day, when potential predators can easily see their warning coloration, but this highlight effective strategy relies on continued access to poisonous ants—something that human activity is making it harder and harder for them to do. The evidence? Scientists have found that mantella frogs in degraded areas are now less poisonous than their counterparts in pristine forests, making them more vulnerable to predators.

“People often ask me why ants matter,” says Fisher. “This relationship between Madagascar’s toxic ants and toxic frogs is just one of the reasons. Without the right ants, these beautiful frogs could be decimated by predation. In many ways, ants are the glue that holds an ecosystem together.”