Fun Harlequin Poison Frog Facts For Kids
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The harlequin poison frog (Oophaga histrionica) belongs to the Dendrobatidae family. The native range of this frog is the Choco area of the western part of Colombia.
It can also be found in western Ecuador. The habitat of the harlequin poison frog species is moist and humid conditions that include the floor of tropical rainforests.
This frog can be found hopping in leaf litter. The reproduction of this species takes place throughout the rainy season. Males are known to attract females by making a buzzing or trilling call and both males and females tend to find or look for locations.
Around four to 20 eggs are laid and after fertilization, females are known to stay to guard. After 10 days, the tadpoles are known to break free from the eggs and swim on their mother's back using their tails.
The base color of the body of this frog ranges from yellow, dull or bright orange, white, powder blue, and red. This frog has a web-like pattern running all over its body. The harlequin poison dart frog diet consists of small invertebrates.
These invertebrates include beetles, termites, and ants. This species is known to be poisonous and can kill small predators like monkeys and can harm to humans too. The toxin is present in the skin glands of this species.
It is quite fascinating to learn about this species so continue reading these harlequin poison dart frog facts. If you are interested, read our articles about the blue poison dart frog and purple frog too.
Harlequin Poison Frog Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a harlequin poison frog?
This is a species of poison dart frog.
What class of animal does a harlequin poison frog belong to?
This poison frog belongs to the class of Amphibians.
How many harlequin poison frogs are there in the world?
There has been no specific count of this poison frog estimated.
Where does a harlequin poison frog live?
Its native range is the Choco area of the western part of Colombia. It can also be found in western Ecuador.
What is a harlequin poison frog's habitat?
These frogs are found in moist and humid conditions, including the floor of tropical rainforests. This frog moves around from leaves of tropical plants to leaf litter.
Who do harlequin poison frogs live with?
Not much is known about whether these poisonous frogs live alone or in groups. A group of poison dart frogs is referred to as the army of the poison dart frogs.
How long does a harlequin poison frog live?
The average lifespan of this poison frog is around nine years in captivity.
How do they reproduce?
These poison frogs are known to breed all through the rainy season. The males try to attract females by perching on leaves and making a buzzing or trilling call.
After the pairs are formed, the pairs look for places to lay eggs. The females are known to lay eggs on the leaf surface and the males deposit their sperm.
Around four to 20 eggs are laid and after the eggs are fertilized, females are known to stay to guard. After 10 days, the tadpoles are known to break free from the eggs and swim onto their mother's back using their tails. One tadpole at a time is transferred into the pockets of water.
Tadpoles are fed infertile eggs and it is known to take three months for metamorphosis to happen. After metamorphosis is complete, these juveniles come out of the bromeliad and start their terrestrial life.
What is their conservation status?
The harlequin poison dart frog is placed under the Critically Endangered category of conservation status.
Harlequin Poison Frog Fun Facts
What do harlequin poison frogs look like?
The base color of the harlequin poison dart frog (Oophaga histrionica) include yellow, dull or bright orange, white, powder blue, and red. It has a web-like pattern running all over the body, but like the base colors, the thickness of the pattern also varies from valley to valley.
This pattern could be lines, incompleted lines, few spots, or speckles. It is believed that the bright patterns or spots are a warning to predators. This species of frogs are also known to possess excellent eyesight.
*Please note the main image and this image are of a dart poison frog that belongs to the same family as the harlequin poison frog. If you have an image of a harlequin poison frog please let us know at hello@kidadl.com.
How cute are they?
This poison frog is not considered cute.
How do they communicate?
Not much information is available about the communication of these frogs, but just like other species, these poison frogs also produce various types of sounds and calls to communicate with each other.
How big is a harlequin poison frog?
The length of these poison dart frogs is 1-1.5 in (2.5-3.8 cm). They are known to be smaller than a pool frog and slightly smaller than a horned frog.
How fast can a harlequin poison frog move?
The exact speed of this poison frog or poison dart frog is unknown.
How much does a harlequin poison frog weigh?
The weight of this harlequin poison dart frog is around 0.17-0.21 oz (5-6 g).
What are the male and female names of the species?
There are no specific names for the males and females of this species.
What would you call a baby harlequin poison frog?
A baby frog, in general, is referred to as a froglet.
What do they eat?
The poison dart frog is known to feed on small invertebrates. These invertebrates include beetles, termites, and ants. Tadpoles are known to feed on infertile eggs provided by the females. In zoos, the poison dart frog is known to be fed crickets.
Are they poisonous?
Yes, poison dart frogs are poisonous. The skin toxins of these frogs can be dangerous to humans who try to handle them as the toxin can cause neurological harm if it comes in contact with or is mixed with the bloodstream.
Would they make a good pet?
This harlequin poison frog (Oophaga histrionica) is known to be quite an uncommon pet as it is difficult to raise these frogs in captivity. These frogs are quite rare in the pet trade and being toxic, these frogs would not make great pets. In zoos, these frogs are known to be less poisonous because of their controlled diet.
Did you know...
The toxic on the skin glands are believed to be collected by prey and deposited onto their skins.
This frog is known to be diurnal which means they actively forage during the day without worrying about predators.
Certain native groups, including the Choco stribetripe, are known to cover their weapons with the Oophaga histrionica and other similar frogs secretions.
It is believed that the brighter the color of the poison dart frog, the more poisonous it is.
Some species of this frog are Endangered, while some like the green and black poison dart frog (Dendrobates auratus) are placed under the Least Concern category.
The rarest poison dart frog species are known to be Lehmann's poison frog.
Poison dart frogs are also known as poison arrow frogs occasionally.
The golden poison dart frog is known to be the most toxic species of this frog and its toxin has the capability of killing around 20,000 mice.
Are harlequin poison frogs dangerous?
If one touches and consumes the poison, it can be highly toxic and dangerous. It is believed that these frogs are not immediately lethal and death by touch cannot kill a human. It may cause pain, cramping, and stiffness.
Why are poison dart frogs so colorful?
It is believed that the coloration and the aposematic patterns are due to the levels of alkaloids and toxicity.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other amphibians from our African bullfrog facts and goliath frog facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable harlequin poison frogs coloring pages.
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