Scientists successfully breed tiny blue frog that's so poisonous it can kill TEN men

Until now the eggs that had been laid had gone mouldy and not formed properly. But after researching environmental conditions and breeding behaviour, the scientists were able to successfully breed a frog

• The blue poison dart frog is naturally found in Costa Rica and Brazil
• But it is under threat in South America, where habitat is being destroyed
• Now experts at Walford and North Shropshire College have successfully bred one of the deadly amphibians in their lab

The Blue Poison Dart froglet will grow to be just 2.5cm long when it reaches adulthood

British experts have successfully bred a rare species of frog that is so poisonous it can kill ten men.
The blue poison dart frog is only 2.5cm long and is usually found in the tropical forests of Costa Rica and Brazil. But the species is under threat in South America, where their habitat is being destroyed.
Now animal experts at Walford and North Shropshire College have successfully bred one of the deadly amphibians in their lab.

A blue poison dart frog, found naturally in the tropical forests of Costa Rica and Brazil, has been successfully bred at Walford and North Shropshire College

Simon Metcalfe, the animal technician who led the project, said: 'Although eggs were laid on several occasions, the students had been unsuccessful in getting the eggs to progress to tadpoles.
'They had always gone mouldy and not formed. After researching environmental conditions required and their breeding behaviour, a few adjustments were made and we waited for the first clutch of eggs to be laid.

The striking frog took 12 weeks for to develop. During this time it was kept in a pond heated to a constant 27C and lit with UV lights

Now all our research and effort has paid off and our first froglet was moved out of water and on to dry land, its metamorphosis now complete.'
A male and female blue poison dart frog were donated to the college by a student who left to join the army.
Once the pair had produce a fertilised egg, the team placed it in an inside pond, where it took 12 weeks for the froglet to develop.
The team of four experts set the water's temperature at 27C (80F), and lit it with UV lights, to recreate the conditions of the frog's natural habitat.
But despite the frog's fearsome reputation, the students have nothing to fear from the tiny frog because it only becomes venomous after eating certain toxic tree barks and insects in the wild.

Despite its diminutive size, the tropical frog can kill ten men with a single dose of its venom