Panamanian Golden Frog: Atelopus zeteki
In the Wild
Description:
 Small, brightly colored frog
 Can range from completely yellow to yellow with black spots or patches
 Females are larger than males and can also be distinguished by a lighter colored
abdomen if she has eggs
Habitat and Range:
 Native to the wet rainforests and dry cloud forests of the Cordilleran Mountains that run
like a spine through western-central Panama in Central America
 Wet rainforest habitat; spend much of their time near mountain streams, perched on
moss-covered rocks or climbing in vegetation a few feet above ground level
 Those frogs that live in the drier cloud forests are more likely to be found on the forest
floor, not necessarily streamside
Diet
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Insects and small invertebrates
Adaptations
 Aposematic coloration: brightly colored skin serves as a warning to predators
o Their skin is toxic if ingested, and this serves as a powerful deterrent to most
predators
o Zetekitoxin is the name of their particular toxin
o Are the most toxic species of the Atelopus genus
 They do not have external ears
o Can also feel vibrations through their lungs
 Semaphore (visual signaling is useful, as these frogs live near loud waterfalls and
streams)
Lifespan
 In the wild: Unknown
 Captivity: May live up to 9 years
Ecosystem relationships
 Predators: Birds, snakes and fish
Reproduction
 Panamanian golden frogs mate between November and January, during the time that is
their late rainy and early dry season
 Throughout much of the year, females move into the forests while males remain in or
near streams
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Panamanian Golden Frog: Atelopus zeteki
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Male frogs stop eating until they successfully find a mate, which may take several
months
Females will try to intimidate any males that she encounters by waving aggressively at
him (semaphoring)
o If he backs off, she won’t mate with him
o If he perseveres, she will
Once a male attracts a female mate, he attaches himself tightly to her back and will
piggyback for several days and even weeks until she finds a suitable place to lay her
eggs. This “piggy-backing” is called “amplexus”
o Amplexus: the copulatory embrace of frogs and toads, during which the male
fertilizes the eggs that are released by the female
o Males have a special pad on their front foot called a “nuptial pad” that helps
them maintain a tight grip on the female during amplexus
Often breed in streams high above waterfalls so that predatory fish won’t be able to
reach their eggs and tadpoles (approx. 200-600 eggs per clutch)
About nine days later, tadpoles hatch out. They spend six to seven months in the
streams where they hatched, eating algae off rocks and growing into froglets
The froglets are brown and tiny when they first hop out of the water and onto a nearby
leaf. They continue to eat and grow once on land, gradually changing color and pattern,
and building up toxins in their skin.
Activity
 Diurnal
Other “fun facts”
 Captive frogs are non-toxic
o Wild frogs build their toxicity by metabolizing the chemicals from their food
o Captive frogs are not fed what they would eat in the wild, therefore, non-toxic
 The golden frog is to Panama what the bald eagle is to the United States – a national
cultural symbol
o All Panamanians know the golden frog through myth and folklore and by seeing
its image everywhere – on signs, posters, t-shirts, trinkets, even lottery tickets
o Although commonly known, few Panamanians have actually seen a golden frog
in the wild!
Conservation Status and Threats:
 Habitat loss and degradation caused by logging and agricultural development
 Over-collection for local zoos and hotels, as well as for the pet trade
 Global Amphibian Crisis
o Worldwide decline in wild populations of frogs, toads and salamanders observed
in the past several decades
o More than one-third of the nearly 6,000 amphibian species known to science are
currently at risk of extinction
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Panamanian Golden Frog: Atelopus zeteki
o Amphibians are an environmental indicator species
 Susceptible to changes in the ecosystem due to their permeable skin and
ties to both land and water
o Chytrid Fungus
 Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or Bd, the fungus that causes
chytridiomycosis (chytrid for short), the disease responsible for
decimating amphibian populations
 Bd is the only kind that infects vertebrates
 Can only be cured in captivity, but cannot be prevented in the
wild since it is naturally-occurring
 Chytrid fungus is on every continent except Antarctica
 Theories on the rapid spread of the chytrid fungus:
 “Out of Africa” theory
o African Clawed Frogs
 Widespread exportation for pets and pregnancy
tests
 Are not fatally susceptible to chytrid
 Water (frogs are an indicator species!)
 Climate Change - cooling in Central & South America
o Chytrid’s temperature threshold: 84.2 degrees sensitive;
89.6 degrees fungus is killed
o Solutions to the Amphibian Crisis?
 First, we need to figure out how to eradicate the fungus in the wild
 Secondly, we need to continue to grow in success with captive breeding
populations
 The goal is to be able to re-introduce them into the wild once the fungus
is gone
 Governments (and people in general) need to find a way to preserve and
maintain the remaining habitat, and educate future generations
At the Zoo
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Embassy golden frog males were hatched at the zoo in 2001 and donated to the
education department in 2003. The female golden frog (largest frog) was donated in
2008.
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is involved with Project Golden Frog, a conservation
consortium among scientific, educational, and zoological institutions in the Republic of
Panama and the United States
Project Golden Frog
o Formed by concerned biologists in response to the sharp decline in amphibian
species
o The expected outcomes of this project are:
 Greater understanding of the species biology of the golden frog
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Panamanian Golden Frog: Atelopus zeteki
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Direct, coordinated conservation effort by governmental agencies and
non-governmental organizations
 Heightened awareness of current global amphibian declines
 Greater respect among Panamanians and global citizens concerning
wildlife
 Greater land preservation for threatened and endangered species
throughout the world
o Efforts will fall into four main areas:
 Education
 Field studies
 Captive propagation
 Financial support
o Maryland Zoo’s involvement:
 Began our partnership in 1999
 First to successfully breed the PGFs in captivity
 Currently hold the SSP studbook for the species
 Ownership of all PGFs in the country
 Continuation of successful breeding and placement of PGFs around the
country for the propagation of the species
What We Can Do
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Make environmentally responsible lifestyle decisions to help conserve habitat –
conserve energy, reduce litter and pollution
Choose your pets carefully, the illegal pet trade threatens many other species
We can start in our own backyard!
 Sit outside and listen closely to the sound of frog calls in the evening. These are
the frogs nearest to you.
 Provide them with habitat by avoiding the temptation to over-landscape.
 Leave some woods, water, and even tall weeds undisturbed, and go easy on the
pesticide and fertilizer!
References:
 http://www.marylandzoo.org/meet/meet-animals.aspx?AnimalID=100
 http://www.houstonzoo.org/amphibians/
 http://www.amphibiaweb.org/cgi-bin/amphib_query?wheregenus=Atelopus&where-species=zeteki
 http://www.ranadorada.org/
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