WHERE ARE THEY
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The blue dart poison frog was first discovered in 1968.
They are typically ground dwellers as they forage for food like small insects. The blue poison dart frog can be found only in rainforest islands in Sipaliwini savanna of South Suriname. They are considered to be in a "vulnerable" conservation status. |
SO, WHAT DO THESE GUYS EAT?
The blue poison dart frog's diet consists of tiny insects such as, ants, termites, tiny mites and any other small insect it can find.
HABITAT AND ENVIRONMENT
The blue dart frog, unlike other animals who tend to hide or camouflage, use their bright colors to show they should not be messed with! The blue dart frog has bright colors to show that they are actually poisonous and will harm you if you try to eat it. Their toxins come from the ants they eat and are ONLY poisonous if they consume these toxic ants. If they consume other insects they will not give off the toxin. These frogs also do not have many predators except when in a tadpole stage, they are more susceptible to dying to other amphibians in the wild.
BLUE DART FROG LIFE CYCLE
Blue poison arrow frogs, like other frogs, begin their lives as eggs that hatch into tadpoles that live in the water, inhaling oxygen via their gills. Tadpoles gradually develop legs, swallow their tails, lose their gills, and develop lungs, allowing them to breathe oxygen from the air. During the wet season, breeding is most common. To attract a female, males create a territory and advertise their presence with modest cries. It's possible that several females will compete for the guy. The triumphant female initiates the wooing ritual by pushing the male on the side and gently rubbing his back with her front legs. The pair next mates and lays eggs in a secluded spawning chamber near a water supply. The eggs are cared for by the male, who keeps them wet until they hatch in 2 weeks. The male carries the tadpoles on his back and lays them in little pools of water in a tiny tree hole once they hatch. The female may assist in the care of the eggs and transportation of the tadpoles. The male's care of the tadpoles ceases after they are placed in water, but the female will return regularly to lay unfertilized eggs in the water to provide sustenance for the tadpoles. In 10-12 weeks, tadpoles transform into adult frogs. They live four to six years in the wild and an average of ten to fifteen years in captivity.
QUICK FUN FACTS
- Blue dart frog's patterns on their backs, like human fingerprints, are unique and used to identify individual frogs."
- The toxins from the ants they eat are absorbed and released onto the surface of their skin as a way to defend themselves.
- Blue dart frogs are in the top 200 poisonous amphibians in the world!
- Its scientific name is: Dendrobates Tinctorius Azureus
- The reason the blue dart frog is in a vulnerable conservation state is because their habitat is slowly being destroyed and taken from them as well as being a part of the rare animal trade market.
MAP LOCATION Suriname
REFERENCES
Blue Poison arrow frog. Denver Zoo. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://denverzoo.org/animals/blue-poison-arrow-frog/
Blue Poison Dart frog. Cosley Zoo. (2019, October 17). Retrieved from https://cosleyzoo.org/blue-poison-dart-frog/
Blue Poison Dart frog. National Aquarium. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://aqua.org/explore/animals/blue-poison-dart-frog
Blue Poison Dart frog. Peoria Zoo. (2014, December 2). Retrieved from https://www.peoriazoo.org/blue-poison-dart-frog/
Blue Poison Dart frog. Rosamond Gifford Zoo. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.rosamondgiffordzoo.org/experience/animals/amphibians/blue-poison-dart-frog/
Blue Poison Dart frog. The Living Rainforest. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://livingrainforest.org/learning-resources/blue-poison-dart-frog
Gaucher, P., & MacCulloch, R. (2008, February 1). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved from https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/55204/11265402
Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, November 5). Blue Poison Dart frog. Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_poison_dart_frog
Blue Poison Dart frog. Cosley Zoo. (2019, October 17). Retrieved from https://cosleyzoo.org/blue-poison-dart-frog/
Blue Poison Dart frog. National Aquarium. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://aqua.org/explore/animals/blue-poison-dart-frog
Blue Poison Dart frog. Peoria Zoo. (2014, December 2). Retrieved from https://www.peoriazoo.org/blue-poison-dart-frog/
Blue Poison Dart frog. Rosamond Gifford Zoo. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.rosamondgiffordzoo.org/experience/animals/amphibians/blue-poison-dart-frog/
Blue Poison Dart frog. The Living Rainforest. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://livingrainforest.org/learning-resources/blue-poison-dart-frog
Gaucher, P., & MacCulloch, R. (2008, February 1). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved from https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/55204/11265402
Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, November 5). Blue Poison Dart frog. Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_poison_dart_frog