Blue poison dart frog

As their name suggests, Blue poison dart frog is blue in color, and they are small-sized frogs. The blue color they have is quite luminous and bright. The head is light blue in color while the legs and arms are brightly colored. 

The frog’s body is covered with black points majorly on the head and the back. Blue poison dart frogs are not sexually dimorphic, and the females are larger in size than the males. 

Dart frogs are known for their toxicity and poison; therefore, they are included in the deadliest list of frog species. 

How do these small frogs hunt or get their food? They use their long sticky tongue for this purpose. They throw their tongue at the target, and the prey is attached to their skin then they quickly pull the tongue inside their mouth with the prey. 

Blue poison dart frogs eat a varied amount of diet including flies, termites, mosquitoes, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles. This diet is responsible for the poison, which is produced in their skin. 

Blue poison dart frog facts

Blue poison dart frogs are not only beautiful by their appearance, but there are also several facts associated with them. These are :

• Blue poison dart frogs were first found/discovered in 1969 in the lowland and rainforests of Brazil and Suriname. 
• These frogs are diurnal, meaning that they will be active during the day and will sleep in the night. 
• Blue poison dart frogs live primarily under the rocks or big moss leaves. However, occasionally they can also be seen resting on higher tree leaves. 
• As their name suggests, poison dart frogs have fatal poison in their skin which is capable of killing even bigger predators. 
• The fact is these frogs do not make the poison on their own, neither they have any glands in their skin to produce the poison. However, the poison is due to their ant-rich diet, containing phosphorus. 
• The dart frogs show unusual behavior of parenting. They carry their tadpoles and eggs on their back—the process is known as “backpacking”. We cannot observe this feature in other amphibians. Male poison dart frogs are very responsible parents performing the major parenting duties. 
• The bright blue coloration of these frogs act as a warning sign for the predators to not come near. 
• Forest people, for example, the Choćo people in Columbia, have been using their poison for hunting purposes since centuries. 
• Blue poison dart frogs can grow up to about six centimeters maximum.
• Like all frogs, they also develop bypassing first from the egg stage, developing into a tadpole, and then an adult. The process is known as metamorphosis. 
• Poison dart frogs are at the verge of extinction because of the increased demand of pet trade. These frogs are illegally exported and imported, resulting in low populations of these frogs. 

Blue poison dart frog habitat 

Talking about where they came from? The Blue poison dart frogs mainly inhabit the rainforests of Surinam, South America. They also inhabit Brazil. In their natural habitat, these frogs tend to live in isolated, warm, and humid areas. They prefer a space which is near to a water body. 

Though these frogs can jump, however, they are mainly present on the ground. Blue poison dart frogs are diurnal, waking, and hunting during the day. 

Blue poison dart frog diet

Blue poison dart frogs in the wild rely mainly only on insects, including flies, mosquitoes, termites, caterpillars, ants, and spiders. Besides that, they also preferred to eat bigger insects like spiders and arthropods. However, in the captivation, you can also feed them frozen food like frozen caterpillars and cricket. 

Blue poison dart frog pet

Many people in the world love to have poison dart frogs. Why? Because they are beautiful, have vibrant colors and are less demanding pets, unlike cats and dogs. They do not need a lot of food maintenance, care, and attention.

You can utilize any living room with enough space in which the aquarium can be set. There are not so many reasons why you should not own this beautiful pet. 

But there are some things you should consider before going to own Blue poison dart frog. In Captivation, blue poison dart frogs would not harm you. The Poison in a Blue Dart frog is not made by their own bodies but the poison is due to the ants they eat as their diet. These ants contain high amounts of Phosphorus. 

The only thing that you should take care of is their diet. Even in the wild frog, the toxicity fades away with the time as they are given the captive feed. 

However, it is better to have blue dart frogs which are raised and bred in captivation and not in the wild. Why? Because they are already used to the environment of aquariums and are familiar with it. They are also in better health and condition than the wild ones. 

Though they are very small, however, the blue poison dart frogs can live up for ten years in captivation. More large frogs even have more handsome lifespans.

Blue poison dart frogs have their breeding season in winters starting from February to March. Females are capable of laying almost ten eggs in a row. They usually breed and keep their eggs in moist areas. 

The development period of the eggs can range from ten to eighteen days. After becoming a tadpole, the whole process of metamorphosis takes almost ten to twelve weeks. 

Blue poison dart frogs lifespan

In the wild, blue poison dart frogs have relatively less life span as compared to when they live in the captivation. In the wild blue poison dart frogs can live for almost four to six years. 

However, in captivity if you provide proper care, attention, and maintenance these beautiful blue frogs can live for about twelve years. In the Wild, they don’t have enough food, and they also face the dangers of predators; therefore, the life expectancy in the wild is relatively less. 

Blue poison dart frog size

These frogs are not so large. They are small-sized frogs normally found on the ground. These frogs can grow up to about one to two inches, about two to four centimeters. 

How poisonous are Blue Dart frogs? 

The blue poison dart frogs after the yellow Dart frogs are considered to be the most toxic and poisonous frog species in the world.

The blue poison dart frog can easily be identified by its Luminous blue color. Though it’s skin might look very beautiful and attractive but there lies the danger. Their skin contains high amounts of poison, which is transferred by the alkaloids.

These alkaloids consist of potentially fatal toxins that can even kill their predators. However, these frogs do not develop this toxicity on their own, their bodies do not produce poison. 

However, the poison they have is mainly due to their diet. For the people who want to keep them as pets. They should not worry about their poisonous factor or toxicity. Because when they are kept in captivation, these frogs are given a diet that is free of toxins.

Blue poison dart frog adaptations

To live in a brutal environment, these frogs have developed several features to protect themselves from the dangers and predators of the rainforests. Some of the adaptations are:

• Blue poison dart frogs contain toxins in their skin which can kill their predators by merely touching their skin. 
• The bright blue colored, which can be seen from a distance, warn their predators about something dangerous. 
• The skin of the Blue poison dart frogs is gooey and sticky. This feature enables them to carry their babies (tadpoles) to different locations by sticking them to their bodies.
• The adult frogs and the baby frogs live in humid and moist areas under the moss plants and in rock depressions where they are safe from the potent predators. 
• These frogs have wide and sticky/adhesive pads, which helps them to stick up firmly with rocks and perches.