| STRAWBERRY POISON DART FROG |
| Dendrobates Pumilio |
|
Range:
|
Central America and Puerto Rico. |
 The strawberry poison dart frog is a small frog with a plump body and thin limbs. In its common form, the head and body are strawberry-red or orange-red with blue or black lower parts. The bright coloration being a warning to predators that the animal is toxic. In parts of Puerto Rico during the wet months, densities sometimes reach up to 400 frogs per acre, the forest resounding with loud chirping trills that males make all year round.
|
| Habitat: |
Lowland rain forests and plantations. |
| Diet: |
A variety of arthropods, such as beetles, millipedes, ants and flies. |
| Status: |
Not immediately threatened, although habitat loss and over-collection for the pet trade is a concern. |
| Approximate Dimensions of Adult: |
Weight: Up to 6 grams.
Length: About 1 inch long. |
| Lifespan: |
3 to 15 years. |
| Reproduction & Offspring: |
Strawberry poison dart frogs mate any time of the year, the female laying up to 5 eggs. Once fertilized, the male and female return to the clutch every day, the male moistening the eggs by emptying his bladder over them. After around 7 days, the eggs hatch, the mother then moves them on her back to the vases of bromeliad plants, one tapdole per plant. She returns to each tadpole almost every day and lays up to 5 unfertilized eggs for it to eat. After about 43 to 52 days and up to 40 eggs later, the tadpole undergoes metamorphosis. |
|
