Costa Rica! It seems as if they are all headed to the land of beauty queens - to find a princess for that spell-breaking kiss that would turn the lucky one into a prince.
But think twice - it could be the kiss of death - you could soon find yourself singing ‘when the saints go marching in’ in strawberry fields, forever!
I'm talking about the strawberry poison-dart frog. He's no prince in disguise.
He gets his first name, ‘Strawberry’ from the close resemblance its body has to a dewy strawberry; his surname, ‘Poison-Dart’ because certain South American Indian tribes rub their blowgun dart tips in the poisonous mucous of the frog’s skin; his middle name, ‘Blue-Jean’ because of his purple-blue legs.
It is also known as the ‘Jewel of the Rainforest’ because its vivid colours contrast strikingly with the dull greens and browns of its habitat making it look like a precious gem on the velvet-like mossy floor of the forest – talk about aliases!
I love aliases. They come handy on Valentine's Day!
And I don't have the poison.
But all frogs lose their toxicity when in captivity:)
Copyright © 2007 Noël Gama
