"Epibatidine is a poison contained within the skin of certain poison dart frogs and, as noted by the five nations, is not found naturally in Russia. The frogs that produce the toxin live in the Ecuadorian foothills and include Anthony's dart frog (Epipedobates anthonyi) and the phantasmal dart frog (Epipedobates tricolor). According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the phantasmal dart frog is threatened."
"Alkaloid chemicals that emerge during digestion are concentrated into toxins that are stored within the frogs' skin, which is brightly-colored as a warning to predators. The frogs have evolved to tolerate the lethal substances. There are many varieties of frog skin toxins, including the paralysis-causing batrachotoxin. Of course, dart frogs are so named for their historic use by indigenous South American peoples, who were known to coat their arrowheads in the deadly secretions."
Postmortem testing by scientists from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK detected traces of epibatidine in tissue samples and concluded poisoning was highly likely the cause of death. Alexei Navalny died on February 16, 2024, while imprisoned in Siberia, and the five nations accused Russia of deliberate administration of the poison. Epibatidine is produced in the skin of certain poison dart frogs that live in the Ecuadorian foothills, including Anthony's dart frog and the threatened phantasmal dart frog. These frogs concentrate alkaloid toxins from prey into brightly colored skin as a predator warning; many frog skin toxins exist, including batrachotoxin.
Read at www.dw.com
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