Blue Poison Dart Frog Watching a Bumblebee Poison Dart Frog

American Museum of Natural History

Blue Poison Frog
Dendrobates tinctorius
(formerly Dendrobates azureus)

Blue dart poison frogs grow to approximately 1 to 1 ¾ inches in length. They are active during the day and can be found hiding among boulders and debris near streams; however, they lack toe webbing and are poor swimmers, so they are rarely found in the water.

Size: 1 to 1 ¾ inches
Range: Suriname
Habitat: Near small streams in remnant jungle stands

The various species of poisonous frogs come by their harmful chemicals in different ways. Most get their poisons from their food—chiefly ants and other arthropods—and some species can chemically alter the substances they ingest, turning mild toxins into more potent ones as yet unknown elsewhere in nature. But some species produce their own toxins, while still others use both of these techniques. Toxic frogs are immune to their own poison.