Colorful Frogs in the Rainforest

Native inhabitants of the rainforest used frogs with the brightest colors, and therefore the most poison, to lace the tips of their spears with poison for hunting. English-speaking westerners gave these frogs the name poison dart frogs. According to the Exploratorium website, the golden poison frog produces enough poison to kill eight people.Colorful frogs in the rainforest tell predators how poisonous they are with their colors. All frogs produce poison through glands in their skin, according to the Exploratorium website, but most frogs don't make poison strong enough to discourage predators.

  1. Poison Dart Frog

    • Poison dart frogs grow to two and a half inches in length. More than 100 species exist in the rainforests of Central and South America, as well as the Hawaiian Islands. Green and black poison dart frogs have green bodies with black spots, and strawberry or blue-jeans dart frogs have red bodies with blue legs. Yellow-banded dart frogs have yellow and black stripes. The shades of colors of all species of poison dart frogs vary from animal to animal. Not only do poison dart frogs' colors warn predators that the frogs are poisonous, but their color patterns could also keep them hidden in their rainforest habitat, further protecting them.

      The Smithsonian National Zoo website states that poison dart frogs lose their toxicity in captivity because they do not eat the same variety of insects and arthropods that they eat in the wild. Male dart frogs have evolved an elaborate mating ritual in which they make a loud trilling noise to attract a female. After they have mated, the female lays several dozen gelatin-covered eggs on forest leaves. The gelatin protects these eggs from decay.

    Red-Eyed Tree Frog

    • According to the Rainforest Animals website, male red-eyed tree frogs grow to be 2 centimeters in length, while females can become 3 or 4 centimeters long. Red-eyed tree frogs have bright green bodies with large red eyes. Their habitat runs along southern Mexico through Central America and into northern South America. Their diet consists of insects and sometimes smaller frogs. Red-eyed tree frogs live near water so that their aquatic tadpole offspring can swim once born.

    Tropical Tree Frog

    • Tropical tree frogs grow to be less than one inch in length and have gold and red colored bodies. Predators eat them frequently because tropical tree frogs are so small. Males of this species attract females with a mating song that can also let predators know that they are nearby. Frog-eating spiders, cat-eyed snakes, bulldog fishing bats and other flying predators eat tropical tree frogs. If these frogs succeed in producing offspring, the females lay eggs near water so that their gold and black striped tadpole offspring can swim when they hatch.