Poison Dart Frog

Poison dart frogs are tiny — most could sit on a quarter — but their dazzling blues, yellows, and reds warn predators that their skin is loaded with toxins. Surprise: the poison comes from the bugs they eat, so frogs raised away from the rainforest aren't toxic at all.

Poison dart frogs live on the floor of rainforests in Central and South America, among the leaf litter and damp plants. Most are tiny — smaller than a paperclip — but they are impossible to miss, glowing in electric blue, yellow, orange, red and green. Those colours are a warning: the frog's skin is loaded with toxins, and a predator that has tasted one never tries again. The name comes from a few kinds whose poison was once used by forest people to tip their blow-darts.

Dart frogs hunt during the day, hopping through the leaf litter and snapping up ants, mites and other tiny insects with a quick flick of the tongue. The toxins in their skin come from those insects, which is why frogs raised away from the rainforest are not poisonous at all. The golden poison frog of Colombia is one of the most toxic animals on Earth, carrying enough poison in its skin to be dangerous to touch — yet it is only a couple of inches long.

Dart frogs are unusually caring parents. The female lays her eggs on a leaf, and one parent — often the father — keeps them moist. When the tadpoles hatch, he lets them wriggle onto his back and carries them, one at a time, up into the trees to tiny pools of water trapped in plants. In some species the mother returns to each pool to feed her tadpoles with unfertilised eggs. Some poison dart frog species are endangered, mostly because their patch of rainforest is being cleared.

Here is every poison dart frog fact from this page and the poison dart frog quiz in one list — handy for a school project or a car-ride quiz.

1. Their bright colors are a warning to predators: "I taste terrible and I'm toxic!"
2. The golden poison frog is one of the most poisonous animals on Earth.
3. Their toxins come from the insects they eat — frogs raised in captivity aren't poisonous.
4. Most poison dart frogs are smaller than a paperclip.
5. Dart frog parents piggyback their tadpoles to tiny pools inside rainforest plants.
6. Colors that warn predators like this are called warning colors.
7. Saving the rainforest helps save these tiny, colorful frogs.

❓ Common questions about poison dart frogs

No — poison dart frogs are wild animals that belong in the wild, and keeping one would be unsafe and almost always illegal. But if poison dart frogs are your favorite, here's the closest pet you actually can welcome home:

Meet the Aquatic FrogBecause wild dart frogs are best admired in nature, but a pet frog lets you keep a colorful amphibian at home. See care guide →

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