Green and Black Poison Dart Frog

Dendrobates auratus

The green-and-black poison dart frog, also known as the green-and-black poison arrow frog and green poison frog, is a brightly colored amphibian native to Central America and Colombia. It is one of the most variably colored poison dart frogs. This variation is partly due to location. Some frogs have no green or black at all. Most often, however, these frogs have a green and black spotted or banded pattern. The amount of black coloring varies greatly.

The green-and-black poison dart frog is not the most toxic poison dart frog, but it is still poisonous. In the wild, the frog gets its poison from the insects it eats. At the Zoo, it loses its toxicity because of a change in diet.

The green-and-black poison dart frog is semi-arboreal and spends much time in trees. It breeds in large groups. Unlike other poison dart frogs, the males will fight over territory and call to attract mates. Once a female selects a male, he will lead her to a site to lay eggs. The male will then carry the tadpoles on his back up into the canopy and place them in small pools of water.

Our Current Residents

ZooMontana is home to nine Green and Black Poison Dart Frogs, all of which were hatched in 2019.  Their names are Relish, Brian Jr., Dill, Gherkin, Heinz, Pickle, Luke Jr., Vlasic and Marissa.

Taxonomy

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Amphibia
• Order: Anura
• Family: Dendrobatidae
• Genus: Dendrobates
• Species: Dendrobates auratus

Animal Facts

• Insectivore: Eats spiders, ants, termites, beetles and mites
• Population: Strong
• Habitat: Tropical and subtropical rainforests 
• Diurnal: Active during the day