| BLACK & YELLOW POISON DART FROG |
| Dendrobates leucomelas |
|
Range:
|
Venezuela, northern Brazil, Guyana, and southeastern Colombia (Neo-Tropical region). |
 Vibrant but toxic, this diurnal (active during the day and rest at night) frog appears painted with yellow and black. As the frog ages, the black bands often break off into spots. These beautiful colors are warnings to potential predators that the frogs are poisonous, due to the toxic chemicals in their skin.
|
| Habitat: |
Humid or wet habitats, and they can be found on forest soil, moist stones, wet tree trunks, and roots of rainforest trees. |
| Diet: |
Ants, termites, beetles, crickets, spiders, tadpoles, giant damselfly nymphs, other dart frog tadpoles. |
| Status: |
Not immediately threatened, although habitat loss and over-collection for the pet trade is a concern. |
| Approximate Dimensions of Adult: |
Weight: About 0.11 ounces.
Length: About 1.57 inches. |
| Lifespan: |
5 to 15 years. |
| Reproduction & Offspring: |
Breeding occurs in February and March, occurring once during the rainy season. Males use vocal sounds such as chirps, buzzes, trills, and hums to get the attention of females. They also show off their brightly colored bodies. Females compete for males. After she chooses a mate, she follows him to his chosen breeding ground. She deposits her eggs (2-12 eggs in a clutch; up to 1000 in a breeding season) usually on leaves, in areas of high humidity. The male cares for the eggs, keeping them moist. Eggs hatch into tadpoles about 10-14 days after fertilization. He also cares for the hatched tadpoles. The tadpoles ride on the father’s back while he climbs up into the forest canopy, where he deposits the tadpoles into water-holding plants. Bromeliads are ideal for the tadpoles because they have many cup-like leaves filled with water. One tadpole is placed in each pocket of water. After 70-90 days, tadpoles have fully changed into froglets. |
|
