Dendrobates azureus: The Blue Poison Dart Frog
April 4th, 2013
-Welcome! This webpage has been created in the interest
of education with respect to the dart frog
Dendrobates azureus,
Dendro- meaning tree, -bates meaning walker and azureus
referring to the blue color. To learn more about this amazing frog,
either click the tabs above to skip about the site or follow the
arrows below to be taken on a tour in the world of this
organism. The link to our host website, containing pages
on hundreds of other organisms, can be found at the bottom of
the page. My name is Bridgette Klinkosh, a student at
UW-La Crosse, and I will not only discuss my organism, the
Blue Poison Dart Frog, but also other related organisms found on
our host website, the link to which can be found at the bottom
of this page. This year the topic for websites is
poisonous and venomous organisms, but there are many other
organisms to learn about on our host site.
The above image is of my heavier spotted
Dyeing dart frog named Pongo. His mate,
Perdita, will be showcased later. They are
both only a few months old and not yet sexually
mature, but still accurate representations of
overall appearance and therefore wonderful
ambassadors for their species.
If you would like to see photos of Perdita now,
=> Skip to Gallery
The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History has a live exhibit of these frogs, which are permanently on display in their location in New Haven Connecticut.
The Blue Poison Dart Frog is well-known among
seasoned herpetologists as a good beginning animal
for pet keepers who are just starting out.
This critter is known by many common names such as:
Dyeing dart frog, Blue dart frog, and locally as
Okopipi. They are alright to keep without a
permit, as they are listed as least concern on the
ICUN
Redlist though a few articles refer to them as
vulnerable, due to the pet trade and illegal
capture. (Follow the link in the previous
sentence to check on the status of other organisms.)
Josh's Frogs, where I obtained my pair of frogs,
is a reputable dealer of captive bred reptiles and
amphibians.
Dyeing dart frogs are smaller compared to their
amphibious relatives, ranging anywhere from three to
four and a half centimeters. They are usually
described as having bright blue-black limbs with a
sky-blue body, black spots covering their back and
lightly dotting their underbellies. Dyeing
dart frogs are diurnal, meaning they are active more
in the daytime hours, and are usually solitary
creatures; they are not usually found in larger
communities unless involved in courtship/ mating
displays.
**As something of a disclaimer, I would like to add that this species has become synonymous with the species Dendrobates tinctorius due to recent sequencing of the DNA, revealing that they may be closely enough related to be considered the same species. However, due to multiple sources from the late 2000s, which refer to these two frogs as separate species, I will do the same. Some information (beyond appearance) such as mating behavior and egg/tadpole care is common between the two species and may have come from D. tinctorius based articles. They do differ by various physical characteristics such as the size of the discs of the fingers, the hunched back appearance, and the shape of the tympanum (the disc behind the eyes of the frogs) which are all unique to D. azureus. I would also like to take this moment to add that all images of the dart frogs, including terrarium setups, were taken and are owned by myself. I could watermark the images, but I feel it would degrade the images I have provided for your benefit and take away from the awe inspiring effect of these beautiful creatures. If you would like to use one or more of my images, please simply send me an e-mail asking for permission and I will reply as quickly as possible. Any images adapted or not owned by myself will be cited accordingly. Thank you.
=> Skip to Contact Information Page
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at klinkosh.brid@uwlax.edu