NEW Poison Dart Frogs!
THE DART FROG EXHIBIT OPENS TO THE PUBLIC
9 A.M. TUESDAY, JUNE 20 IN THE CLC.
TUCSON, Arizona – Reid Park Zoo will make you wanna jump, jump over to meet the new poison dart frogs! The poison dart frog habitat will open to the public 9 a.m. Tuesday June 20, 2017, thanks to a generous Legacy Gift to the Reid Park Zoological Society. These colorful frogs are the first amphibians at the Zoo in more than 10 years.
“In their ranges around the world, amphibians are facing a global decline as their habitats, including their need and access to water, are threatened,” said Zoo Director Jason Jacobs. “Amphibians are key indicator species, which means scientists use amphibians to monitor environmental changes, assess the efficacy of management, and provide warning signals for impending ecological shifts.”
The dart frog habitat was made possible as part of a Legacy Gift to Reid Park Zoological Society. Long-time Reid Park Zoo docents Fran and Ray Armstrong wanted to leave a lasting legacy for future generations. As a result of their generosity, the new dart frog habitat will now be available to the thousands of children who visit each year – the first of its kind in the Zoo’s Conservation Learning Center.
“Fran was not large in stature, and similar to the small dart frogs her legacy has had a huge impact on all of us,” said Zoo Director Jason Jacobs. “Through her love of conservation, education and wildlife, she was an inspiration and a role model that taught so many of us so much.”
Poison Dart Frogs can be found in the humid tropical rain forests of Central and South America. The frog’s lifespan is 3 to 15 years. With continuing threats to habitats, some species are endangered or critically endangered. Dart frogs store poisonous toxins in their skin from the insects they consume, making them too toxic to touch. The frogs at Reid Park Zoo eat wingless fruit flies, and therefore do not have any stored toxins.