Animal picture of the day: baby blue frog
Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.comSeptember 23, 2011
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Baby blue poison dart frog. Photo by Rhett A Butler
The blue color form of the green-and-black poison dart frog (Dendrobates auratus) is occurs on the Pacific side of parts of Panama. This individual is a juvenile.
Dendrobates auratus is generally green and black but exhibits a variety of color forms across its range from south Nicaragua to northwestern Colombia (it does not occur in the Amazon rainforest).
Dendrobates auratus is common in the pet trade, where it is often bred in captivity.
Like other poison dart frogs, Dendrobates auratus derives its toxicity from the arthropods it eats — typically ants and mites. Individuals raised in captivity are not toxic.
Baby blue auratus frog. Photo by Rhett A Butler
Here are a few green-and-black variations of Dendrobates auratus.
Near Capurgana in Colombia's Darien region
Hacienda Baru, Pacific slope of Costa Rica
Aernal, Costa Rica
Barro Colorado Island in Panama
Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
Colombia's Choco
In captivity, origin unknown
More unusually blue animals.
