Ten diminutive, colorful dart-poison frog species are featured in a lively vivarium in the Museum’s live-animal exhibition Frogs: A Chorus of Colors, now open at the Museum. In the wild, about 180 species of these frogs, called dendrobatids, have been discovered so far, with more still being identified.
Get to know a few species before you see the frogs live in the exhibition.
Phyllobates terribilis (Golden poison frog)
Size: Up to 2 inches
Range and habitat: Tropical rain forests in Colombia
Frog Fact: Golden poison frogs are excellent “tongue hunters,” rarely missing a strike; they are also the most poisonous dart-poison frog species. (In the Frogs exhibition, however, all dart-poison frogs are fed a nontoxic diet—so the frogs are nontoxic, too.)
Dendrobates auratus (Green and black poison frog)
Size: 1 to 2 inches
Range and habitat: Rain forests and plantations, Nicaragua to Colombia
Frog Fact: Like most dendrobatids, green and black poison frogs are diurnal and are active all day long.
Phyllobates bicolor (Black-legged poison frog)
Size: 1 to 1.75 inches
Range and habitat: Tropical rain forests in Colombia
Frog Fact: Black-legged poison frogs are mainly solitary, but in certain seasons they gather in large groups to find mates.
Dendrobates tinctorius (Blue poison frog)
Size: 1 to 1.75 inches
Range and habitat: Forests in northern South America
Frog Fact: Some blue poison frog “morphs” combine white, black, yellow—and, of course, brilliant blue.
Dendrobates leucomelas (Bumble bee [or yellow-banded] poison frog)
Size: 1 to 1.5 inches
Range and habitat: Western Venezuela to Guyana
Frog Fact: Native to dry forests, this species often hides away until the rains come, after which it ventures forth to forage.
A version of this story appeared in the Summer 2013 issue of Rotunda, the Member magazine.