Venomous frogs use toxic face spines as weapons | @GrrlScientist

A team of scientists have identified two species of venomous frogs, a unexpected discovery. While a number of frogs have toxins in their skin and thus are considered poisonous, the term "venomous" is reserved for animals, such as pit vipers, that can inject their toxins into other animals

It's common knowledge that some frogs secrete toxins from special glands in their skin. But according to a paper published today in Current Biology, an international team of researchers report for the first time ever that two frog species are actually venomous. To be considered venomous, an animal must possess a toxin and must have some sort of mechanism, such as fangs, to deliver that toxin into another animal. And these frogs' delivery mechanism of choice? Sharp spines on their faces.

Although these Brazilian frog species, Aparasphenodon brunoi and Corythomantis greeningi, both have been long known to science, almost nothing is known about their lives in the wild. Thus, this revelation is important because it increases our understanding of the biology of amphibians and provides a glimpse into some of their interactions with predators in the wild.