Poison Dart Frog or Mint Poison Frog

Description:

The mint poison frog is in all ways an average poison dart frog. Males reach about three quarters of an inch long; females are slightly larger, up to an inch long or bigger. As the common name "mint poison dart frog" suggests, the green-and-black poison frog typically has mint-green coloration; however they can also be forest green, lime green, emerald green, turquoise, pale yellow, or even cobalt blue. Many also have splotches of dark colors, ranging from wood brown to black.

Habitat:

Spotted at Niagara parks Butterfly Conservatory, Ontario, Canada

Notes:

The green-and-black poison frog, while not the most toxic poison dart frog, is still a highly toxic animal. The very small amount of poison the frog possesses is still enough to make a human ill. Like most poison dart frogs, however, the green-and-black poison dart frog will only release its poison if it feels that it is threatened, and wild specimens can be handled if the human holding it is calm and relaxed. The green-and-black poison frog, as with all poison dart frogs, loses its toxicity in captivity due to a change in diet. This has led scientists to believe that the green-and-black poison frog actually takes its poison from the ants it feeds on.