Green-and-Black Poison Dart Frog

Dendrobates Auratus

Scientific Name

Green-and-Black Poison Dart Frog:  
Dendrobates Auratus

Distribution and Habitat

Geographic Range

This moist skinned amphibian lives in the rainforests of Central and South America,from Bolivia to Southeastern Brazil and Costa Rica to Nicaragua.

Natural Habitat

You are most likely to find this frog on the rainforest floor near a water source, such as small pools or streams. When breeding they will venture up into the rainforest canopy.

Physical Characteristics

  • This small frog is conspicuously colorful, warning predators of its toxic poisons. It is bright green with black markings. The body of the frog is black and green. Usually the black markings are in spots or broken bands. They possess adhesive pads on the tips of their toes to assist in clinging to leaves near the ground.

Quick Facts

  1. Poison dart frogs for their name from the poisons secreted through their skin. The Colombian Choco Indians use the poison on the tip of their hunting darts. It is potent enough to immobilize an animal as large as a monkey.

  2. The male of this species helps with rearing the young. After the tadpoles hatch, the adult male will carry them on his back. It takes about three months for tadpoles to mature into full grown frogs.

  3. There are over 100 different kinds of poison dart frogs.

Exhibit

Amphibian and Reptile Center

Conservation Status

Least Concern: The Green-and-Black Poison Dart Frog is common or abundant and is likely to survive in the wild.

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Diet

Insectivore

Their diet consists mostly of crickets, fruit flies, beetles, ants, termites, spiders and worms.