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Amid Agony, Scientists Discover World's First Venomous Frog

sciencehabit writes: Some discoveries come with a price, and Brazilian biologist Carlos Jared's discovery of the world's first known venomous frog came with agony. When Carlos picked up a Brazilian hylid frog—a small, lumpy, green amphibian—while doing fieldwork, the frog raked him with spines hidden within its upper lip across the hand. He dropped the frog, and excruciating pain shot up his arm for the next 5 hours. It was known that some frogs secrete poison onto their skin but this species has tiny spines on their heads and upper lips that enable them to inject lethal venom directly into the bloodstream. C. greening's venom is twice as potent as that of the deadly pit viper, the researchers report.

88 comments

  1. It looks just like him by argStyopa · · Score: 4, Funny

    If they don't name that frog after Moe from the Simpsons, then I just don't want to know about it.

    (Moe Sizlak: http://webpages.shepherd.edu/B... )

    --
    -Styopa
    1. Re:It looks just like him by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What if he was out for a nice swim and this frog bit him on the penis?

    2. Re:It looks just like him by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Call it the Flaming Moe?

    3. Re:It looks just like him by TapeCutter · · Score: 1

      Barney voice: "Buuuurp, I don't get it, the frog is green, Moe is yellow?

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  2. F*** with the frog.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    .... you get the spines....

  3. Places where everything wants to kill you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Amazon rainforest, Australian outback, Middle East, Somalia, Baltimore

    1. Re:Places where everything wants to kill you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nope. This is the Brazilian savanna in eastern Brazil, far away from the Amazon.

    2. Re:Places where everything wants to kill you by SvnLyrBrto · · Score: 1
      I normally dislike this meme, but:

      "Amazon rainforest, Australia, Middle East, Somalia, Baltimore"

      Fixed that for you.

      --
      Imagine all the people...
    3. Re:Places where everything wants to kill you by TapeCutter · · Score: 1

      The universe itself is trying to kill you, it's how you respond that counts. For example I wouldn't be surprised if a dedicated scientist who thought he was dying in agony from his frog find, started typing up his journal submission to Nature before he passed out.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  4. Raconte-Moi Une Histoire by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Reminds me of the M83 song "Raconte-Moi Une Histoire"

    "I've heard about this frog
    It's very tiny frog
    But its also very special
    You can only find it in the jungle
    So far away from you/me
    But if you find it
    And if you touch it
    Your world can change forever"

    Except that frog sends you on a psychedelic trip, rather than inflicting excruciating pain. Close though.

    1. Re:Raconte-Moi Une Histoire by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Reminds me of the M83 song "Raconte-Moi Une Histoire"

      "I've heard about this frog
      It's very tiny frog
      But its also very special
      You can only find it in the jungle
      So far away from you/me
      But if you find it
      And if you touch it
      Your world can change forever"

      Except that frog sends you on a psychedelic trip, rather than inflicting excruciating pain. Close though.

      "Lick de toad! Lick de toad!"

      ok, now it is

      "Don't lick de toad!"

    2. Re:Raconte-Moi Une Histoire by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm only touching a frog if it means my mommy will suddenly become.... my daddy.

      Also, I don't think that song is about drugs or tripping, I think it's about being a child.

  5. Frogs by rossdee · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Meanwhile some Amazon tribes have been using frog venom on their arrows and blowpipe darts for thousands of years...

    And theres probably some joke about Jeff Bezos patenting it...

    1. Re:Frogs by JMJimmy · · Score: 4, Informative

      Meanwhile some Amazon tribes have been using frog venom on their arrows and blowpipe darts for thousands of years...

      And theres probably some joke about Jeff Bezos patenting it...

      Apparently you didn't read the summary let alone RTFA - they are talking about injectable venom, like a snake.

    2. Re:Frogs by Flavianoep · · Score: 4, Informative

      It's not venom unless the animal carrying it have means to actively inject it in its victims or enemies. What the Indians have been using is poison.

      --
      Linux is for people who don't mind RTFM.
    3. Re:Frogs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're confusing "venom" with "poison". It's only "venom" if it's delivered by an active mechanism (fangs, spines, etc). Poisonous frogs have long been known, this is the first venomous one.

    4. Re:Frogs by gstoddart · · Score: 0

      Hmmm ... so if the Amazon tribes put it on pointy things, and can then "inject" it, are they venomous?

      I realize it's a scientific distinction, but it really sounds like a small matter of semantics.

      If it's chemically the same as poison, and administered via something pointy it becomes venom, that's an awfully small distinction. It sounds like if I put it in your drink, I've administered poison, but if I stab you with it it's venom.

      I'd at least expect a different chemistry.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    5. Re:Frogs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If I use it to hit base balls, it is a "base ball bat."

      If I use it to hit you, it is a "blunt instrument."

    6. Re:Frogs by JMJimmy · · Score: 2

      Hmmm ... so if the Amazon tribes put it on pointy things, and can then "inject" it, are they venomous?

      I realize it's a scientific distinction, but it really sounds like a small matter of semantics.

      If it's chemically the same as poison, and administered via something pointy it becomes venom, that's an awfully small distinction. It sounds like if I put it in your drink, I've administered poison, but if I stab you with it it's venom.

      I'd at least expect a different chemistry.

      It's an important distinction for several reasons. Scientifically, specificity is always important. To a survivalist, they generally stay away from poisonous things but they can, with care/proper technique, use venomous things. Venomous things also generally create/store their own toxins where poisonous things can get them from another source, like poison dart frogs - their poison is actually from a plant that an insect feeds on which the frogs then eat & excrete. Take away that chain and they are no longer poisonous.

    7. Re:Frogs by Flavianoep · · Score: 3, Informative

      The meaningful distinction is between poisonous animals and venomous ones. I guess I don't need to explain to you the implications on survival strategy that those two features entail.

      But the GP seemed to make fun of scientists for discovering now what the Indians have known for ages. The case is that scientists know about poisonous frogs for a very long time, you know, by talking to the very Indians that have been using frog poison for ages.

      By the way, AFAIK, you can not call a poison a venom just because if it's in a man made pointed object, because such an object is not a biological structure and therefore the human bearing it is not venomous.

      --
      Linux is for people who don't mind RTFM.
    8. Re:Frogs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All venom's are a type of poison but not all poisons are venom's. I believe venom simply means that it has to be injected directly to the bloodstream to poison you. If you swallow it, you should be fine, so long as your linings aren't broken (e.g. ulcers) where it can then seep into the bloodstream. So if you get stabbed with a stick that had venom on it, and it goes into your bloodstream you will be poisoned by venom.

    9. Re:Frogs by msauve · · Score: 1
      The distinction seems a bit unclear. Definitions read like:

      poisonous matter normally secreted by some animals (as snakes, scorpions, or bees) and transmitted to prey or an enemy chiefly by biting or stinging; broadly : material that is poisonous

      But I believe all of the animals listed inject their venom using hollow, needle like structures and actively pump the venom. These frogs are different, they secrete a poison which coats the outer surface of a spiny structure, like a poison tipped dart. So while the frogs actively break the skin, to say that they actively inject a venom is a stretch.

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    10. Re:Frogs by chmod+a+x+mojo · · Score: 2

      Apparently you didn't read the summary let alone RTFA - they are talking about injectable venom, like a snake.

      Umm, maybe you should go re-read TFA before pointing fingers.

      There are no injectors on these frogs, they secrete venom ON THEIR SKIN then flail their spines to open and get venom into a wound. It would be perfectly feasible to harvest venom from these as if they had been typical poison dart frogs.

      --
      To err is human; effective mayhem requires the root password!
    11. Re:Frogs by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Meanwhile some Amazon tribes have been using frog venom on their arrows and blowpipe darts for thousands of years...

      And theres probably some joke about Jeff Bezos patenting it...

      Apparently you didn't read the summary let alone RTFA - they are talking about injectable venom, like a snake.

      Geez, this is a tough crowd tonight.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    12. Re:Frogs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your mind is a blunt instrument.

    13. Re:Frogs by JMJimmy · · Score: 2

      Apparently you didn't read the summary let alone RTFA - they are talking about injectable venom, like a snake.

      Umm, maybe you should go re-read TFA before pointing fingers.

      There are no injectors on these frogs, they secrete venom ON THEIR SKIN then flail their spines to open and get venom into a wound. It would be perfectly feasible to harvest venom from these as if they had been typical poison dart frogs.

      An injector is imply a mechanism that breaks the skin to introduce the toxin. Whether it is by coating or hypodermically does not change the injector mechanism.

    14. Re:Frogs by RenderSeven · · Score: 4, Funny

      But if the police use it to hit you, it is a "non-lethal compliance tool" (unless you have the video then it's a "civil rights lawsuit").

    15. Re:Frogs by JMJimmy · · Score: 1

      *typo: imply = simply. Also, I should be specific: "does not change the injector mechanism", by definition it does change. What I should have said was "does not change the fact that it is injected". A hypodermic injection occurs below the skin, a non-hypodermic injection is into and possibly under the skin depending on the depth of the injection.

    16. Re:Frogs by frank_adrian314159 · · Score: 2

      they are talking about injectable venom, like a snake.

      So they are talking about Bezos, right?

      --
      That is all.
    17. Re:Frogs by JMJimmy · · Score: 1

      Inject = break the skin to introduce a toxin
      Hypodermic Injection = inject a toxin under the skin
      Poison = absorbed or introduced
      Venom = injected
      Toxin = poison, venom, etc

    18. Re:Frogs by msauve · · Score: 1
      You differ from Oxford:

      Inject: Drive or force (a liquid, especially a drug or vaccine) into a person or animalâ(TM)s body with a syringe or similar device...

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    19. Re:Frogs by JMJimmy · · Score: 1

      You differ from Oxford:

      Inject: Drive or force (a liquid, especially a drug or vaccine) into a person or animalâ(TM)s body with a syringe or similar device...

      I was simplifying and contextualizing, however, if you really need that to be decompressed for you:

      "with a syringe or similar device" similar device = spike/tooth/claw/etc
      "a liquid, especially a drug or vaccine" = a toxin
      "drive or force" = the act of breaking the skin.

      So Oxford and I agree, just they have a very limited contextualization to humans performing the injection with a medical device.

    20. Re:Frogs by Scragglykat · · Score: 1

      Actually, they'd have to be talking about injectable because that's the very definition of venom. The frogs used by natives secrete poison from their skin. Beyond the article, it's the actual words that often get confused. Poison is ingested or absorbed, venom is injected.

    21. Re:Frogs by mlynx · · Score: 1

      Actually a more appropriate comparison would be the stone fish. It also uses spines as the venom transport mechanism.

    22. Re:Frogs by mlynx · · Score: 1

      The article is pretty specific that it's a poison gland in the skin near the spines. a lot like the stone fish.

    23. Re:Frogs by msauve · · Score: 1

      Sorry, I now realize that English isn't your primary language.

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    24. Re: Frogs by MichaelSmith5004 · · Score: 1

      This is incorrect. The frog does NOT inject venom. The spines are simply venom coated.

    25. Re:Frogs by Snufu · · Score: 1

      In this case it makes a big difference. "Injectors" are for predation (snakes, spiders, etc.) "Spines" are for defense (frogs, fish, rays, etc.)

    26. Re: Frogs by JMJimmy · · Score: 1

      This is incorrect. The frog does NOT inject venom. The spines are simply venom coated.

      The spines are coated in a toxin, which is "injected" when the spine drives into the skin, making it a venom.

    27. Re:Frogs by JMJimmy · · Score: 1

      Sorry, I now realize that English isn't your primary language.

      Ad hominem much?

    28. Re:Frogs by billstewart · · Score: 1

      Venom means the animal can use it to attack you, as opposed to being passively poisonous if you eat it, which can still be a useful defense mechanism for a species, if not for the animal that gets eaten. But an animal that spits something poisonous into your eyes or nose would still be venomous even if it wasn't biting or stabbing you to inject it, as would an animal that bites or scratches you and then spits poison out of its mouth, even if it doesn't have fangs.

      --

      Bill Stewart
      New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
    29. Re:Frogs by RenderSeven · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure if its funny ironic or disturbing that the *reason* it's no longer authorized is only because the gun might go off and hit a bystander.

    30. Re:Frogs by Bugamn · · Score: 1

      The snake didn't deserve that comparison.

  6. Relates to Dice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Amid agony, Slashdot audience watches Slashdot sell to Dice. Amid agony over failed ownership, Dice puts Slashdot up for sale.

    1. Re:Relates to Dice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I bid a nickle!

  7. Feels bad, man by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    n/t

  8. I ain't Kermit, motherfucker!! by NotDrWho · · Score: 2

    I'm a bad motherfucking GANGSTA frog, and you in MY HOOD now!

    --
    SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
    1. Re:I ain't Kermit, motherfucker!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ever notice how easy it is to pick the white guy trying to talk black without seeing him? I hope you don't think I'm racist, I even voted for the black guy! wait. That makes me racist. Oh dear. I think I will have to vote for the women this time, unless we have any gay people running this time.

    2. Re:I ain't Kermit, motherfucker!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ever notice how easy it is to pick the white guy trying to talk black without seeing him?

      Of course, it's ALL them. Because actual black guys don't need to TRY to talk black. Duh!

  9. Far Side by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I can't be the only one picturing this happening to some scientists from a Far Side cartoon...

    1. Re:Far Side by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 4, Funny

      I hope they remembered their ducks.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  10. Have we learned NOTHING from horror films... by LaurenCates · · Score: 2

    ...involving aliens?

    If there is any doubt, even 1% doubt, that something is 100% safe, don't handle it. Get gloves, or a net or a trap, or something, but for fuck's sake, don't pick it up, at least, not without gloves.

    Yes, I can read. I know frogs are not known to be venomous, thus the news story, but that doesn't mean that it isn't carrying a weird bacteria, or has a secretion that can cause an allergic reaction, or any number of things that can go wrong.

    --
    Some people don't believe in fairies. I don't believe in The Patriarchy.
    1. Re:Have we learned NOTHING from horror films... by IMightB · · Score: 2

      If he was wearing gloves, he wouldn't have made this discovery, nor would he have discovered a new weird bacteria or a "Potential New Cancer Fighting Compound"* that causes an allergic reaction.

      * Note this entire phrase was thrown in for Grant and Investor "throw money at me" purposes.

    2. Re:Have we learned NOTHING from horror films... by hankwang · · Score: 1

      "If there is any doubt, even 1% doubt, that something is 100% safe, don't handle it. Get gloves, or a net or a trap, or something,"

      Unfortunately, in real life there is no sinister background music to cue you that you should be doubting...

      Are you sure that everything you touch has not been touched by someone with an infectious disease?

    3. Re:Have we learned NOTHING from horror films... by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 1

      Handle it the same way you handle small children: with large tongs.

    4. Re:Have we learned NOTHING from horror films... by PNutts · · Score: 1

      Are you sure that everything you touch has not been touched by someone with an infectious disease?

      No, but I'm pretty sure those guys arguing about whether the venom is injected touch something that hasn't been touched by anyone else, infectious or not.

    5. Re:Have we learned NOTHING from horror films... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Get gloves, or a net or a trap, or something,

      That "something" being a 15mm pulse rifle with optional grenade launcher, of course.

    6. Re:Have we learned NOTHING from horror films... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      is that an abortion joke ?

      you soooo funne !

    7. Re:Have we learned NOTHING from horror films... by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Listen for your video card's fan kicking to high speed than.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    8. Re:Have we learned NOTHING from horror films... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Q: What's grey, blue and red and tries to climb up ladies legs?

      A: A homesick abortion.

    9. Re:Have we learned NOTHING from horror films... by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 1

      is that an abortion joke ?

      No, it was a hygiene joke. We know where your head is at. Rorschach test fail.

    10. Re:Have we learned NOTHING from horror films... by LaurenCates · · Score: 1

      Nuke it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.

      --
      Some people don't believe in fairies. I don't believe in The Patriarchy.
  11. Don't lick the toad..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't ever lick the toad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU10yr-Y6Ts

  12. Sometimes by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sometimes science advances with the phrase "hmm, that's unexpected" and sometimes with the phrase "arghargharghargharghargh!".

    1. Re:Sometimes by Translation+Error · · Score: 2

      Eurekargh!

      --
      When someone says, "Any fool can see ..." they're usually exactly right.
  13. Re: Frogs are for cows. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Frogs say "reddit".

  14. Bummer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This kinda puts a damper on my frog-blowjob fettish.

  15. Aaa! Kurbaa! by ememisya · · Score: 1

    - "Ne sevimli se.."
    *hart*
    - "ANANI!."
    *bir hafta sonra*
    - "Cok tesekkurler, bu odulu fen dunyasina layik goruyorum, mahcub ediyorsunuz."

  16. You don't know that. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He might have made the discovery anyway, while wearing gloves.

    When the frog raked his gloves with its upper lip, he might have thought, "hmm, I wonder why a frog would do that..." which would have sent him down a much safer road to discovering the same thing.

    1. Re:You don't know that. by LaurenCates · · Score: 1

      Indeed. There are certainly ways of determining the "what would happen if..." without becoming a test subject yourself.

      --
      Some people don't believe in fairies. I don't believe in The Patriarchy.
    2. Re:You don't know that. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yes! Hand it to the ungloved undergrad!

  17. Re:Frogs are for cows. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sexconker was born of a COW. The sorry heifer's teats were so worn out at the time of his birth, they were scraping the pasture's ubiquitous cow patties. SEXCONKER was nursed on poo!

    He does seem to be full of it. Your theory could also be bolstered by what seems to be a very strong Oedipus complex on his part. If he'd get on down to a dairy and "get him some" this current manifestation of the issue may resolve. Or, he could just get busted in a barn yard with his pants around his ankles. Either way it's a win for everyone else.

  18. They should be more careful by PNutts · · Score: 1

    They should be more careful choosing what to lick.

  19. Poison Darts ARE an Injector by billstewart · · Score: 1

    Leave aside how you get the venom out of the frog (that's an exercise in applied bio-technology), poisoned darts and arrows are a technique for injecting it into a victim. Works just about as well if it's a venom that the original animal could inject into you by itself, or a poison that normally would only get into your bloodstream if you ate the animal, snorted it, or got it on a cut in your skin. (There are some poisons that only affect you if you eat and digest them, but they're not the kind that would be useful as arrow poisons.)

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
  20. Venom vs. Poison by billstewart · · Score: 1

    Venom is something the animal can use to attack you with; poison is something that affects you if you attack the animal (or eat or breathe or otherwise get the animal, plant, or mineral material into your body.)

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
    1. Re:Venom vs. Poison by NotSoHeavyD3 · · Score: 1

      You know what's even weirder? If you went by what he said (instead of what you said) a lot of venomous snakes wouldn't actually be venomous http://www.sciencedaily.com/re...

      --
      Did you know 80 to 90% of the moderators on slashdot wouldn't recognize a troll even if one dragged them under a bridge.
  21. Poisoning is what venom does to you by billstewart · · Score: 1

    It's venom if the animal can use it to attack you, but an animal (or plant or mineral) can be poisonous without being venomous. If a traditional hunter wants something to poison an animal or a traditional warrior wants something to poison an enemy with, in either case by using a dart or arrow or knife coated with the poison, they could use venom from a venomous animal, or they could use some other poison that's available. (Those poisons have a partial overlap with the poisons an assassin or a bad cook could use to poison your food with; some poisons need to be eaten to be harmful, some poisons need to be injected but are rendered mostly harmless by the digestive system.)

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
  22. Humans can be venomous by billstewart · · Score: 1

    Biologically, we're not venomous (though bites or scratches inflicted by humans can get infected.) But somebody with a venomous attitude toward you may try to poison you, or kill you with a blunt instrument or sharp object.

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
  23. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  24. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  25. Re:Frogs are for cows. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Moooooooooooo cows moo moo

  26. Mod parent up by TapeCutter · · Score: 1

    Excellent distinction, one of those things I have never noticed but as soon as I read it, it was "obvious". An exception might be jellyfish who regularly use their stingers for both purposes, jellyfish stingers are more like a tiny speargun than a needle or a spine.

    --
    And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  27. still disagree by Chirs · · Score: 1

    Arguably, "inject" generally implies a hollow tube through which the material is forced. This also means that a larger dose of the material can be forced into the wound since the material is under pressure. So syringe, snake fangs, mosquito proboscis, spider fangs, etc. are all hollow and "inject" would be appropriate.

    On the other hand, contact poisons (even on a barb or spin) would generally not be considered an "injection".

    If I coat a knife with poison and stab you with it, I'm not "injecting" the poison into you, you're basically absorbing the poison off the surface of the knife.

    1. Re:still disagree by JMJimmy · · Score: 1

      If you wipe the blade on skin, it's absorbed into the skin - not by the action of the knife. The action of the knife only allows transfer from one surface to another. Injection is pushing through a barrier, like the skin, to deliver the payload. Whether that payload is delivered by contact transfer or pushed in is irrelevant.

  28. Re:Frogs are for cows. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sorry, but whats with this cow MOO MOO BS?