07/11/2023
The amazing giant monkey frog, Phyllomedusa bicolor. This impressive frog is bright green with shockingly light colored eyes and is impressively large and stocky. So amazing to see in the wild!
This massive frog is as big as your hand and has toxic skin secretions as a defense to ward off predators. These secretions produce psychoactive effects in humans. The ritual of Kambô or Sapo is a type of voluntary envenomation using these monkey frog toxins. During this indigenous purification ritual a shaman healer deliberately burns the right shoulder with the glowing ember end of stick fresh from the fire. Secretions of the monkey frog are then applied to these fresh wounds. Within a few minutes the person experiences nausea, vomiting, facial edema, palpitations and hypotension can occur, followed by a supposed feeling of spiritual wellness and healing. This ritual is used as a means of purification of the body, may bring luck to hunters, and supposedly increases stamina/physical strength and sexual strength. Used for generations by indigenous tribes in the amazon rainforest, this ritual has now popped up all over the world with practitioners from Texas to Poland importing the frogs around. Improper practices and misidentification of frog species has also resulted in very severe adverse reactions and deaths, so remember kids leave the froggies alone and don’t go around licking frogs!
Photographed with a Sony A7riii with a Metabones mark V adapter and Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens. If you enjoy my photos I always read and appreciate comments, also feel free to share and see more at my website www.ChrisGillette.com
