What is a poison frog?

Poison frogs , from the family Dendrobatidae, are New World frogs, of which there are roughly 180 species, that can produce poisonous skin secretions. They live in the tropical forests of the New World, from Nicaragua to Peru and Brazil. These frogs range in size from about 0.5 to 2.6 inches (12 to 65 mm) in length. Their skin secretions can be dangerous if absorbed through a cut or mucous membrane. The golden poison frog's (Phyllobates terribilis) skin is so toxic that a dart rubbed across its back can kill a large bird or monkey. Poison frogs often display aposematic coloration, which includes bright colors such as reds, oranges, yellows, blues, and greens against a black or dark background to warn others of their toxicity.

Where are poison frogs usually found?

Poison frogs are found in the forests of the New World tropics, ranging from Nicaragua to Peru and Brazil. The blue poison dart frog, for example, is unique to the tropical forests bordering the Sipaliwini Savanna of southern Suriname and extending into northern Brazil. These frogs are known for their poisonous skin secretions, which some South American tribes use to coat the tips of darts and arrows. The mimic poison frog lives in central Peru.

Why are they called poison frogs?

Poison frogs, also called poison dart frogs, possess the ability to produce poisonous skin secretions. Indigenous people have been known to use the secretions to coat the tips of darts and arrows. All frogs in the order Anura produce poisonous skin secretions, but the poison dart frog is especially dangerous. Handling brightly colored poison dart frogs requires caution because their skin secretions can be lethal if absorbed through mucous membranes or cuts. The golden poison frog has toxins potent enough to kill a large bird or monkey. Their bright colors serve as a warning of their toxicity.

What colors do poison frogs have, and why?

Poison frogs display aposematic, or warning coloration, which is common among poisonous species. Their colors include reds, oranges, yellows, and bright blues and greens, often set against a black or dark background. These vivid colors warn potential predators of the frogs' toxicity. The golden poison frog's skin contains a lethal substance known as batrachotoxin, with just a tiny amount capable of killing a human. Similarly, the blue poison dart frog has bright warning coloration to signal its poisonous skin secretions. The mimic poison frog is known for its wide array of color patterns.

How do poison frogs get their poison?

Poison frogs, also called poison dart frogs, are known for their poisonous skin secretions, which some South American tribes use to coat the tips of darts and arrows. These frogs inhabit New World tropical forests from Nicaragua to Peru and Brazil. The origin of their toxicity is linked to their diet. Poison frogs consume beetles and other insects that contain toxic alkaloids. These alkaloids are then sequestered and secreted through their skin. When poison frogs are kept in captivity and fed a diet without these insects, they don't develop the highly toxic skin secretions. These frogs often have bright colors, such as reds, oranges, yellows, blues, and greens, which serve as a warning to potential predators.

How do poison frogs protect themselves from predators?

Poison frogs protect themselves from predators through a combination of vibrant coloration and toxic skin secretions. Their bright colors serve as a warning to potential predators, signaling their toxicity. These frogs secrete poisonous substances through their skin, which can be lethal if absorbed through mucous membranes or cuts. The skin secretions contain various toxic ingredients, from irritants to neurotoxins. Some non-poisonous frog species mimic the coloration of poison frogs to also avoid predators.

poison frog

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

A Kokoa frog, or South American arrow poison frog (Dendrobates species), with black and green markings sits on a rough brown rock surface.

Blue arrow-poison frogs (Dendrobates azureus).

A bright blue poison dart frog with black spots sits on a damp, brown log in Costa Rica.

Examine up close minute poison-arrow frogs Dendrobates auratus and D. pumilio on leaves

Quick Facts

Also called:: poison dart frog, dart-poison frog, or poison arrow frog

Related Topics:: Colostethus inguinalis; Dendrobates; Phyllobates; strawberry poison frog; Colostethus trinitatus

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poison frog

amphibian

Also known as: Dendrobatidae, arrow-poison frog, dart-poison frog, dendrobatid, poison arrow frog, poison dart frog(Show More)

Written by

George R. Zug

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Sep. 30, 2026 •History

Top Questions

What is a poison frog?
Poison frogs, from the family Dendrobatidae, are New World frogs, of which there are roughly 180 species, that can produce poisonous skin secretions. They live in the tropical forests of the New World, from Nicaragua to Peru and Brazil.

These frogs range in size from about 0.5 to 2.6 inches (12 to 65 mm) in length. Their skin secretions can be dangerous if absorbed through a cut or mucous membrane. The golden poison frog's (Phyllobates terribilis) skin is so toxic that a dart rubbed across its back can kill a large bird or monkey.

Poison frogs often display aposematic coloration, which includes bright colors such as reds, oranges, yellows, blues, and greens against a black or dark background to warn others of their toxicity.
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Where are poison frogs usually found?
Poison frogs are found in the forests of the New World tropics, ranging from Nicaragua to Peru and Brazil. The blue poison dart frog, for example, is unique to the tropical forests bordering the Sipaliwini Savanna of southern Suriname and extending into northern Brazil. These frogs are known for their poisonous skin secretions, which some South American tribes use to coat the tips of darts and arrows. The mimic poison frog lives in central Peru.
3 Britannica Sources
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Why are they called poison frogs?
Poison frogs, also called poison dart frogs, possess the ability to produce poisonous skin secretions. Indigenous people have been known to use the secretions to coat the tips of darts and arrows. All frogs in the order Anura produce poisonous skin secretions, but the poison dart frog is especially dangerous. Handling brightly colored poison dart frogs requires caution because their skin secretions can be lethal if absorbed through mucous membranes or cuts. The golden poison frog has toxins potent enough to kill a large bird or monkey. Their bright colors serve as a warning of their toxicity.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What colors do poison frogs have, and why?
Poison frogs display aposematic, or warning coloration, which is common among poisonous species. Their colors include reds, oranges, yellows, and bright blues and greens, often set against a black or dark background.

These vivid colors warn potential predators of the frogs' toxicity. The golden poison frog's skin contains a lethal substance known as batrachotoxin, with just a tiny amount capable of killing a human. Similarly, the blue poison dart frog has bright warning coloration to signal its poisonous skin secretions. The mimic poison frog is known for its wide array of color patterns.
2 Britannica Sources
1. poison frog
2. 7 Awesome Frog Species of the Tropics
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How do poison frogs get their poison?
Poison frogs, also called poison dart frogs, are known for their poisonous skin secretions, which some South American tribes use to coat the tips of darts and arrows. These frogs inhabit New World tropical forests from Nicaragua to Peru and Brazil.

The origin of their toxicity is linked to their diet. Poison frogs consume beetles and other insects that contain toxic alkaloids. These alkaloids are then sequestered and secreted through their skin. When poison frogs are kept in captivity and fed a diet without these insects, they don't develop the highly toxic skin secretions.

These frogs often have bright colors, such as reds, oranges, yellows, blues, and greens, which serve as a warning to potential predators.
5 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do poison frogs protect themselves from predators?
Poison frogs protect themselves from predators through a combination of vibrant coloration and toxic skin secretions. Their bright colors serve as a warning to potential predators, signaling their toxicity. These frogs secrete poisonous substances through their skin, which can be lethal if absorbed through mucous membranes or cuts. The skin secretions contain various toxic ingredients, from irritants to neurotoxins. Some non-poisonous frog species mimic the coloration of poison frogs to also avoid predators.
5 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

poison frog, (family Dendrobatidae), any of approximately 180 species of New World frogs characterized by the ability to produce extremely poisonous skin secretions. Poison frogs inhabit the forests of the New World tropics from Nicaragua to Peru and Brazil, and a few species are used by South American tribes to coat the tips of darts and arrows. Poison frogs, or dendrobatids, are small and range from 12 to 19 mm (0.5 to 0.75 inch) from snout to vent in the minute poison frogs (Minyobates) to about 65 mm (2.6 inches) in the skunk frog (Aromobates nocturnus).

All frogs (order Anura) produce poisonous skin secretions; however, humans do not notice the toxicity or suffer skin irritation when handling most species. Nonetheless, handling one of the brightly coloured dendrobatids, such as Dendrobates and Phyllobates, requires caution because their alkaloid skin secretions are potentially lethal if absorbed through human mucous membranes or passed into the body through a cut on the skin. In fact, the skin secretion of the true poison dart frog, or golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis), is so toxic that the tip of a dart rubbed across its back picks up sufficient poison to kill a large bird or a monkey. The origin and production of the toxic skin secretions remains uncertain, but at least in some dendrobatids it appears to be derived from their consumption of beetles, their primary prey. When kept in captivity and fed a diet devoid of beetles, the skin secretions of poison frogs lack the highly toxic alkaloids.

Aposematic (conspicuous) or warning coloration is common among distasteful and poisonous species of many plants and animals. The coloration of poison frogs commonly includes reds, oranges, yellows, and even bright blues and greens on a black or dark background. Not all dendrobatids are so poisonous or brightly coloured; many are patterned with shades of brown and well camouflaged (as in Colostethus), and their skin secretions are generally nontoxic and nonirritating.

Britannica Quiz

Deadliest Animals Quiz

Parental care of the young, which is often performed by the male, occurs in all poison frog species. The male attracts a female to his residence beneath a leaf or log, and she lays the eggs and often departs. The male remains to guard the clutch; however, in some species the female remains. When the tadpoles hatch, the parent allows the tadpoles to swim or crawl up onto his or her back. They are subsequently carried to a nearby body of water (such as a stream, a pond, or a tree hole). There, the tadpoles slide off the back of the parent and into the water to complete their development.

Superficially, the mantelline frogs of Madagascar (family Mantellidae) appear nearly identical to the dendrobatids; however, they are not closely related. The similarities between the two groups are attributed to convergent evolution. Also, both are comparable in terms of physical size, as mantellines range from 15 to 120 mm (0.6 inch to nearly 5 inches) from snout to vent, although most species are less than 60 mm (about 2.5 inches) long. While the skin secretions of the mantellines have not been thoroughly studied, the secretions of Mantella are toxic and capable of killing vertebrate predators.

Mantellines include more than 100 species in three genera of terrestrial to arboreal (tree-dwelling) forms that live in semiarid scrubland to rainforest habitats. Some species lay eggs on leaves that overhang bodies of water, and hatching larvae then drop into the water. Other species lay terrestrial eggs that develop either directly into froglets or into a nonaquatic, nonfeeding tadpole stage. In addition, parental care occurs in some mantelline species with terrestrial eggs.

George R. Zug

poison frog

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