Poison Dart Frog vs Cobra Comparison

By | October 24, 2021

Who will win the fight between Poison Dart Frog and Cobra?

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The poison dart frog and cobra are two of the deadliest animals on earth. These two animals contain deadly venom that fascinate researchers from well-known organizations. A poison dart frog vs. cobra fight is not just a regular fight but a battle where one of them will emerge as a winner while the loser won’t come out alive.

The venom in these animals is enough to kill humans as well as large animals including rhinos and elephants. The kind of venom in the Poison Dart Frog and that in a cobra is not only used during hunting but also for defensive purposes. If a cobra or a poison dart frog feels threatened, it emits venom within a few seconds and instantly immobilizes the attacker. The toxin coming out of the two animals is enough to kill a mature human being within a few minutes.

There is no consensus of the outcome of a fight between the two animals. A cobra is huge enough to swallow a poison dart frog but a poison dart frog is not an animal that can be swallowed easily. The poison dart frog contains lethal venom that can easily kill a cobra. To gauge how a battle between the two is likely to go, let us first have a comparison of the poison dart frog vs. cobra.

Fight between Poison Dart Frog vs King Cobra

Poison Dart Frog vs King Cobra

Poison Dart Frog Facts and Information

  • Also referred to as the dart-poison frog, poison arrow frog or simply as a poison frog.
  • Belong to family Dendrobatidae.
  • There are more than 200 species of the poison dart frog.
  • Have bright-colored skin.
  • Are endemic to and mostly found in Central and South America.
  • Countries where a poison frog can be found include Venezuela, Guyana, Bolivia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Panama, Colombia, Hawaii, Nicaragua, Suriname, Peru, Brazil and Ecuador.
  • Unlike other animals, the poison dart frog does not camouflage to its surroundings. Their bright-colored bodies serve as a warning to other animals not to even think of attacking them.
  • Easily distinguishable by their bright blue, yellow, red, black, green or orange colors.
  • The bright-colored poison dart frog skin secretes lethal venom that kills or paralyzes its prey within a few minutes.
  • Live near water bodies deep inside dense rainy forests such as the Amazon forest.
  • The poison in this frog family is so deadly that during ancient times South American Native Indians laced it on arrows to be used during hunting. Animals and humans that came into contact with the poisoned arrows have zero chances of survival.
  • More than half of the 200 species are not harmful to humans and other animals. However, more than 100 species secrete poison that is harmful to living beings.
  • An average female poison frog lays between 4 and 6 eggs.
  • In some species, the male frogs guard eggs until they hatch.
  • Once hatched, the tadpoles feed on small insect eggs.
  • Tadpoles live in leaf crevices near water bodies.
  • Are Diurnal in nature i.e. they prey and do all activity during the day and rest/sleep at night.
  • Feed on small insects including flies, ants, and mites.
  • The poison frogs are territorial creatures that can put up a big fight just to keep away other animals from their territories.
  • Have a lifespan of between 4 and 6 years in the wild and between 10 and 12 years in captivity.
  • Length is between 1.5 cm (0.6in) and 6 cm (2.4in).
  • Weigh about 2 grams.
  • Well known species of the poison dart frog include the bronzed-back mantella, green mantella frog, clown tree frog, strawberry poison frog, yellow banded poison frog, golden leaf folding frog etc.
  • Venom from one poison dart frog is enough to kill up to 10 mature, healthy humans.
  • The deadly poison from these frogs (batrachotoxin) causes damage to brain cells, high blood pressure, seizures, paralysis and eventually death.

Cobra Facts and Information

  • Belongs to family Elapidae.
  • There are more than 270 known species of cobras.
  • Toxin from cobras can kill a mature human being within 30 minutes.
  • Poison from a king cobra can even kill an elephant within a few hours.
  • A cobra bite results in drowsiness, vertigo, sever pain, blurred vision, paralysis, respiratory failure, heart muscle failure, coma and eventually death.
  • Use their toxic venom for hunting as well as for defensive purposes.
  • Can either bite and inject their poison into the victim’s bloodstream or spit it onto their eyes hence causing sharp pain and permanent or temporal blindness.
  • Can spit poison to a distance of up to 6 meters.
  • Venom from one king cobra can kill as many as 20 healthy, adult human beings.
  • The King cobra is the largest poisonous snake.
  • A king cobra can grow to a length of 4 meters (13 feet) and weigh as much as 6 kilograms (13 pounds)
  • Apart from its poison, a cobra also uses its strong muscles to subdue and crash its prey/victim.
  • Can kill and swallow a fully grown human within 30 minutes.
  • Can also kill and eat other snakes including pythons.
  • Males are larger than females.
  • Though limbless, females normally build nests to cover eggs. It takes them several hours or a few days to completely build a nest that is about half a meter high and has a diameter of about one meter.
  • A female cobra can lay between 12 and 50 eggs.
  • Females normally watch over the eggs until they hatch.
  • Takes between 50 and 80 days for eggs to hatch.
  • Out of about 30 hatchings only two survive to the age of maturity. The remaining ones are eaten by predators including birds, other snakes, mongoose, wild boar, civets and monitor lizards.
  • Young ones have a length of up to 73 cm (29in).
  • The king cobra is mostly found in India and other South East Asian countries including Cambodia, Bhutan, Indonesia, Singapore, Bangladesh, Nepal, Laos etc.
  • Can detect prey that is 100 meters away.
  • Have a stronger sense of smell compared to human beings.
  • Mostly hunt during the day and rest at night.
  • Have flexible jaws that make it possible to swallow prey that is bigger than its head.
  • Doesn’t like confrontations or fights. When rattled, it tries to run away but with persistence it turns around before attacking.
  • Most people bitten by this snake are snake charmers.
  • The best defense mechanism when confronted by this snake is to slowly remove one piece of clothing (e.g. hat or shirt), throw it on the ground and run away.
  • Lifespan for a wild cobra is about 20 years.

Poison Dart Frog vs King Cobra Comparison Table

AnimalsPoison dart frog
Poison dart frog
King Cobra
King Cobra
KingdomAnimaliaAnimalia
FamilyDendrobatidaeElapidae
ClassAmphibiaReptilia
OrderAnuraSquamata
Average Length0.59 in9.8 to 13.1 ft
Average Weight1 oz.13 lb
AreaTropical environments of Central and South AmericaIndian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and the southern areas of East Asia
HabitatTropical or subtropical forests in AfricaIn Alaska dense near the coast, continental United States
PoisonHas enough venom to kill 10 grown menEnough to kill 20 people, or even an elephant
Force14
Agility43
Stamina14
Intelligent35
Average Life Span3 to 15 years20 years

The duel between the Poison Dart Frog vs Cobra

A fight between the cobra and the poison dart frog is something that everyone would want to watch. Though having different sizes, they are capable of killing each other. The battle between the two won’t be determined by their sizes only but also by the severity and quantity of poison in their bodies.

Due to its enormous size, high speed and versatility, a cobra will most likely emerge as the winner in a fight between the two. The poison dart frog has minimal chances of survival but it may as well cause irreparable damage to the cobra. Even if the poison frog is killed, the king cobra won’t dare eat it as the venom in the frog will kill it. It would be interesting to watch these epic fight between the two deadly creatures in Kingdom Animalia.

Videos of Poison Dart Frog and Cobra


25 thoughts on “Poison Dart Frog vs Cobra Comparison

  1. Samantha

    How d o you know who will win? Test it. My money’s on the frog!

    Reply
  2. Horuos

    Poison darts have enough nerotoxin to kill a cobra, however a cobra will probably kill it. Ultimately, I would say both would die, one of being killed, another of venom. It would be a tie.

    Reply
    1. Dodon't

      Yes, I agree that both would die, and likely they would both die of being killed. 🙂
      Really I doubt it would ever happen, as in they wouldn’t attack each other at all.

      Reply
    2. Dodon't

      Horuos,
      Yes, I agree that both would die, and most likely they would both die of being killed. 🙂

      In reality though, I doubt it would ever happen, as they wouldn’t attack each other at all; too much risk and not enough reward for either animal to get involved.

      Reply
  3. James W.

    How do you know if the cobra has resistance to the frog venom?
    Do cobras take venom warning coloured amphibians in Africa/Asia?

    It seems even pet cats can & do hunt venomous snakes ( & such snakes of any continent)
    though, having a natural venom resistance, as inherited from their wild forebears..

    Domestic dogs are much more vulnerable to snake venom..

    Reply
    1. AP

      James W,
      It depends on the type of domestic dog. A small poodle or a chihuahha may lose to a venomous snake.

      But a large Bull Mastiff, German Shepard, Rottweiller, etc. would literally slaughter any house cat or venemous snake.

      Reply
      1. James W.

        AP,
        Not if the “housecat” was a huge Russian lynx..
        (& FYI – see the vids of bobcats out-striking rattlesnakes)..

        Those dogs you noted would doubtless be envenomated,
        & die, unless rushed by a human for emergency treatment.

        Reply
        1. AP

          James W,
          A Russian lynx is not a housecat… it is a wild animal – it is just that some people like to keep them as pets…

          The dogs I mentioned could certainly hold their own against a wild lynx – even if the lynx were to emerge victorious in a battle with them, it would be crippled for the rest of it’s life.

          The dogs could indeed be venomated – but if they can avoid the snake’s bite (even large dogs can be faster and more agile than you think), they would certainly win in a fight with a venomous snake.

          Reply
          1. James W.

            AP,
            dude c’mon.. you really have no idea.. about ‘pets’..
            Try googling images of ‘Tippi Hedren & Neil the lion’.

            FYI, a wild wolf will destroy any of those “mentioned” dogs, quite handily,
            & a large Russian lynx would do so too.. but even more – effortlessly..

            Unlike felids, the canid bauplan is increasingly clumsy – as it scales up..
            Do a basic literature search of ‘dog envenomation by snakes’.. & find out..

          2. AP

            Oh yeah, and Tippi Hedran is playing with fire… lets hope she does not get burnt…

          1. James W.

            @ fake ‘James W.’
            get lost, shit-heel..

  4. Aka

    Hello? King cobra can kill black mamba no problem. A poison dart frog isn’t going to be a problem for the almighty king cobra.

    Reply
  5. Tony/Aka

    Actually, it would be a problem for the cobra to kill the mamba. Cobra would probably win but mamba could win.

    Reply
  6. James W.

    & yet the smaller species of wildcats can best these snakes,
    by beating their best strike speed.. & by being venom resistant..

    Reply
    1. James W.

      Aka/T..
      A prime pride both male lion would destroy both…

      Reply
      1. James W.

        @ fake ‘James W.’
        Busted you, scammer..
        Identity thief.. scumbag..

        Reply
  7. rob

    The cobra could easily kill the frog. The problem would be if the cobra tried to eat it. Cobras have no resistence to the frogs neurotoxins. They live on different continents and have never been exposed to it. If the cobra ate the frog it would also die.

    Reply
    1. James W.

      rob/troll,
      A prime pride boss male lion would destroy both…ask yourself why bears were not able to retain their ancient place in Africa…

      Reply
  8. John Castro

    well dart frogs can kill with one touch so the frog can touch the cobra right before the cobra can bite it.

    Reply

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