Blue poison frog sitting on a bright green tropical leaf

Poison frog

Color me poisonous!
Type
poison frog

Amphibians

Area
Map highlighting Central America
Central America
Endangered Status

Some Endangered

facts

size
1 inch
length
A gummy bear is 0.8 inches tall.
Poison frog compared to the size of a gummy bear candy
food
insects
Insectivorous Carnivore
insectivore

Poison frogs eat ants, termites, centipedes and beetles.

habitat
rainforest
Rainforest habitat leaves

description

A yellow poison frog with black spots perched on a patch of moss.

Strength in numbers

Blue poison frogs live in rainforests in Central and South America. A group of poison frogs is called an "army." Most frog species are nocturnal, but poison frogs are active during the day, when their jewel-colored bodies can best be seen and avoided.

Strawberry poison frog

"Hue" knew?

Poison frogs can be yellow, gold, copper, red, green, blue, or black. To other animals, the colors mean "I am poisonous, so don't even think about eating me!"

Black-legged poison frog

Darts, not arrows

The Emberá of South America use the frogs' poison to coat the tips of the blow darts they use for hunting. You'll also hear poison frogs called "poison arrow frogs," but that's not accurate. The South American tribes that hunt with arrows usually coat their arrow tips with plant poisons, not frog poisons.

Splash-backed poison frog

Hands off!

The deadly poison is found in the frog's skin, making it too toxic to touch. The Emberá pick them up with waxy leaves and then dip their blow dart in the frog's skin secretions. Just a tiny drop can kill the birds and small mammals that they hunt for food.

Quiz

True or False: The colors of these frogs are good camouflage.
True
False