A little damp, very welcome.
Green and Black Poison Dart Frog
Dendrobates auratus
Also called Green-and-black poison arrow frog, Green poison frog, Green poison dart frog
From Humid lowland and foothill forests (0-1,000 m) of south-eastern Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and north-western Colombia. A population was introduced to Oahu, Hawaii, in 1932.12
At a glance the quick version
Average recorded in captivity
Looks how to spot one
Small, smooth-skinned dart frog with climbing toe discs
A small, glossy frog with slim limbs and toe discs that help it climb. Females tend to be a little larger than males.12
Personality what they are like
A curious, always-moving frog that spends daylight hours hopping around in search of food. Males hold small territories and call with a soft, bird-like buzz.21
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Diurnal and rarely still; semi-arboreal, so it hunts, courts and even sleeps up in plants as well as on the ground.21
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Keep in a planted vivarium at 80-100 percent humidity, about 22-27 C by day and not below about 16-18 C at night.3
Home where they are happiest
Tall-enough planted vivarium with leaf litter, climbing plants and small water-holding spots such as bromeliads, mirroring the rainforest floor and low vegetation it uses in the wild.123
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Insectivore. Wild frogs eat mainly ants and mites; in captivity it is fed small insects such as crickets and fruit flies.1
Company who they like around
Gathers in groups before breeding, but males defend territories, so give enough room and visual barriers. Parents, usually the male, carry tadpoles to small pools and keep watch over them.12
The story where it all began
Charles Frederic Girard described the species in 1855. In 1932 frogs were released on Oahu in Hawaii in the hope that they would eat mosquitoes, and they later spread to Maui.1
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Captive-bred frogs fed on crickets and fruit flies are completely non-toxic.1
- 2
It was introduced to Hawaii in 1932 as a natural mosquito control.1
- 3
Parents carry tadpoles on their backs to tiny pools held in bromeliad leaves.1
- 4
Scientists have studied a compound first found in poison frog skin as a model for new pain-relief medicines.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern1
- CITES
- Appendix II2
- Taxonomy
- Described by Charles Frederic Girard in 18551
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Green and Black Poison Dart Frog. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- MistingKeep the humidity upevery day
- Fresh waterDechlorinated waterevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- FeedingHow often depends on species and agevaries
- Spot cleanevery 2 days
- Full cleanevery month
- Vet check-upFind a vet who sees exotic petsevery year
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at support@furrydiary.app and we will fix it.
- Green and black poison dart frog - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.orgused for range, Hawaii introduction, status, size, colours, behaviour, diet, history
- Dendrobates auratus - Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan) animaldiversity.orgused for size, lifespan, behaviour, reproduction, CITES
- Poison dart frog - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.orgused for captive humidity and temperature
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.