Green-and-black poison dart frog

Green-and-black poison dart frog
Dendrobates auratus var. Costa Rica Girard, 1855

A semi-arboreal amphibian which lives in the tropical forests of Panama and Costa Rica, and grows up to 5 cm in length. It chooses shadowy places so that it doesn’t lose too much water through the skin. This frog is celadon green in colour, with symmetrical brown-black spots. It is poisonous owing to neurotoxic glands in its skin. Its rear legs lack interdigital webbing, which is why the green-and-black poison dart frog cannot swim. Nevertheless, it does use small water bodies for reproduction, e.g. by laying eggs in puddles. Tadpoles develop and grow on the male’s back; rainwater is the only thing that keeps them from drying. After a few weeks, the male submerges in water for the tadpoles to separate. They soon transfigure into frogs and reach sexual maturity after a year. The green-and-black poison dart frog figures in Appendix II of the list of species protected by CITES, which means that anyone owning it must register their frog.

Body length:
male: 2,5–4,0 cm
female: 2,7–4,2 cm

Body weight: 3–10 g