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548 Featured Specimen
Yellow-banded poison dart frog

Details

Yellow-banded poison dart frog

Dendrobates leucomelas

Size
3–5 cm
Diet
Carnivore
Activity
Diurnal
Sociality
Social
Lifespan

The yellow-banded poison dart frog is a bright black-and-yellow frog of northern South America. Small but conspicuous, it calls by day from humid tropical forest.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
NeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropical

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

Details

Habitat

It occurs in Venezuela, Guyana, northern Brazil and nearby Colombia. Damp forest floor, rocks, logs and stream margins are typical microhabitats.

Appearance

Adults are about 3-5 cm long. Yellow to orange bands and spots contrast with a black body, with pattern width and arrangement varying by population.

Behavior

Active by day, males advertise from small territories. Several frogs may occupy the same favorable patch of forest.

Feeding

Ants, mites, tiny beetles, termites and other minute arthropods are eaten. In the wild, prey-derived alkaloids make the skin toxic.

Reproduction

Males guard eggs in damp sites, then carry tadpoles on their backs to water. Small pools and plant-held water are often used.

Notes

The species is widespread, but logging and collection for the pet trade can create local pressure. Captive animals lack the full wild toxicity.