Amphibians · Anura · Dendrobatidae

Green and Black Poison Frog

Dendrobates auratus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The green and black poison frog is a metallic green dendrobatid with black blotches, one of the commonest in the forests of Central America. The male guards the clutch on the ground and, once they hatch, carries the tadpoles one by one on his back to pools and tree holes where they complete their metamorphosis.

Size

2.5 cm – 4 cm

Lifespan

12 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestInsectivore Diurnal Solitary Amphibian Rainforest

5countries 13parks4same family

Fun facts

The male carries the tadpoles on his back one by one, sometimes travelling tens of metres across the forest floor and climbing trees, before depositing them in pools or in water collected in hollows and bromeliads.
It was introduced to Hawaii in 1932 to control mosquitoes and is still established there, one of the few cases of a dendrobatid gone feral outside the Americas.
Its toxicity depends on diet and varies enormously between populations: animals from some areas are markedly more toxic than those from others a few kilometres away.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
Habitat & environment: Leaf litter and understorey of rainforest in Central America and north-western Colombia
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 12 days
Litter / clutch size: 6

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/