Golden Dart Frog
by Michelle Meenawong
Title
Golden Dart Frog
Artist
Michelle Meenawong
Medium
Photograph - Metal Print
Description
The golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis), also known as the golden frog, golden poison arrow frog, or golden dart frog, is a poison dart frog endemic to the Pacific coast of Colombia. The optimal habitat of P. terribilis is the rainforest with high rain rates (5 m or more per year), altitudes between 100 and 200 m, temperatures of at least 26 °C, and relative humidity of 80–90%. In the wild, P. terribilis is a social animal, living in groups of up to six individuals; however, captive P. terribilis specimens can live in much larger groups. They may appear innocuous due to their small size and bright color, but wild frogs are lethally toxic
The golden poison frog is endemic to humid forests of the Pacific coast of Colombia in the Cauca and Valle del Cauca Departments in the Chocó Rainforest. Its range is less than 5,000 square km. Destruction of the rain forests has limited habitat size and put P. terribilis on international endangered species lists. It is only known from primary forest. The eggs are laid on the ground; the males transport the tadpoles to permanent pools
P. terribilis is the largest species of poison dart frog, and can reach a size of 55 mm as adults, with females typically being larger than males. Like all poison dart frogs, the adults are brightly colored, but they lack the dark spots present in many other dendrobatids. The frog's colour pattern is aposematic (which is a warning coloration to warn predators of its toxicity). The frog has tiny adhesive disks on its toes, which aid climbing of plants. It also has a bone plate in the lower jaw, which gives it the appearance of having teeth, a distinctive feature not observed in the other species of Phyllobates. The frog is normally diurnal. P. terribilis occurs in three different color varieties or morphs
A very grateful thank you to the following groups for featuring this picture
MACRO MARVELS
07/20/2020
ANIMAL PHOTOGRAPHS
11/27/2020
OUR 4-LEGGED FRIENDS
10/10/2021
Uploaded
July 14th, 2020
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