Poison Dart Frogs
Poison dart frogs are a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are endemic to humid, tropical rainforests in Central and South America. Bolivia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana, Peru, Panama, Guyana, Nicaragua, and Hawaii just to name a few.
Natural habitats include subtropical moist lowland forests, high-altitude tropical shrublands, premontane forests, intermittent freshwater marshes, seasonally flooded lowland grasslands, pastures, rural gardens, plantations, and heavily degraded former forests.
Dendrobatids tend to live on or close to the ground, but some species also live in trees as much as 30 feet off the ground.
These species are diurnal and often marked by their brightly colored bodies which display aposematic patterns to warn potential predators of their unpalatibility as these bright patterns are associated with their toxicity and levels of alkaloids. Although most wild dendrobatids hold some level of toxicity, the levels can vary considerably from one species to the next and from one population to another. They are called "dart frogs" due to the Amerindians' indigenous use of their toxic secretions to poison the tips of their blow-darts. However, of the 175+ species, only four have been documented as being used for this purpose, all of which come from the Phyllobates genus, which is characterized by the high levels of toxicity of its members. Many dart frog species habitats are currently threatened.
Most species of poison dart frogs are relatively small, sometimes less than 1 inch in adult length (these are commonly referred to as "thumbnails"), but a couple of the largest species can grow up to 3 inches in length.
Adult frogs lay their eggs in moist, humid environments, on leaves, plants, wood, and other smooth surfaces.
Natural habitats include subtropical moist lowland forests, high-altitude tropical shrublands, premontane forests, intermittent freshwater marshes, seasonally flooded lowland grasslands, pastures, rural gardens, plantations, and heavily degraded former forests.
Dendrobatids tend to live on or close to the ground, but some species also live in trees as much as 30 feet off the ground.
These species are diurnal and often marked by their brightly colored bodies which display aposematic patterns to warn potential predators of their unpalatibility as these bright patterns are associated with their toxicity and levels of alkaloids. Although most wild dendrobatids hold some level of toxicity, the levels can vary considerably from one species to the next and from one population to another. They are called "dart frogs" due to the Amerindians' indigenous use of their toxic secretions to poison the tips of their blow-darts. However, of the 175+ species, only four have been documented as being used for this purpose, all of which come from the Phyllobates genus, which is characterized by the high levels of toxicity of its members. Many dart frog species habitats are currently threatened.
Most species of poison dart frogs are relatively small, sometimes less than 1 inch in adult length (these are commonly referred to as "thumbnails"), but a couple of the largest species can grow up to 3 inches in length.
Adult frogs lay their eggs in moist, humid environments, on leaves, plants, wood, and other smooth surfaces.
