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287 Featured Specimen
Blue poison dart frog

Details

Blue poison dart frog

Dendrobates tinctorius

Size
3–5 cm · 3–8 g
Diet
Carnivore
Activity
Nocturnal
Sociality
Solitary
Lifespan
4-15 years

The blue poison dart frog is a vivid small frog of Neotropical forest and freshwater habitats. It is treated here as a solitary nocturnal carnivore.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
NeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropical

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

It uses humid tropical forest floors and streamside areas. Leaf litter, rocks, roots, and small water sites provide shelter and breeding space.

Appearance

Body length is about 3-5 cm and weight about 3-8 g. Bold blue and dark patterning acts as warning coloration to predators.

Behavior

It is solitary and treated as nocturnal in the data. It moves near the ground and frequently uses moist shelters.

Feeding

It is carnivorous, eating tiny ants, mites, and insects. In the wild, skin toxins are linked to compounds obtained through diet.

Reproduction

Eggs are laid in damp places, and adults may move tadpoles to small water sites. Tadpoles develop in water before metamorphosis.

Notes

Its conservation status is LC. Its color is famous, but observation should avoid touching the frog or disturbing its habitat.