Santiago poison frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Santiago poison frog |
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The Santiago poison frog, also called the Rio Santiago poison frog, is a small and colorful frog. It belongs to the Dendrobatidae family, which includes many famous poison dart frogs. This special frog lives only in certain parts of northwestern Peru and southern Ecuador. It prefers to live in warm, wet lowland forests. This frog is easy to spot because it's black with bright orange-red spots on its back and yellow spots underneath.
What Does It Look Like?
The Santiago poison frog is a very tiny frog. When it's fully grown, it measures about 15 to 17 millimeters (which is less than an inch!) from its snout to its rear end.
Its skin is mostly black. It has bright orange-red patches arranged in rows along both sides of its back. You might also see small yellow spots above its armpits and near its groin. More pale yellow spots are scattered under its chin, on its chest and belly, and under its thighs. A cool fact about its front feet is that its first finger is much shorter than its second finger.
Where Does It Live?
The Santiago poison frog was first found in 1929. This happened in northwestern Peru, near where the Marañón River meets the Santiago River. This area is a wet lowland forest, about 213 meters (700 feet) above sea level.
After many years, the frog was seen again in the same place. A single frog was also spotted on the north side of the Marañón River. These frogs have also been found in Ecuador, in a mountain range called the Cordillera del Condor. This spot is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Santa Rosa. They also live near Panguintza in Zamora-Chinchipe Province, southern Ecuador, at a higher altitude of about 800 meters (2,600 feet). They like wet parts of old forests and areas close to streams.
Life and Habits
The Santiago poison frog is active during the day. It lives on the ground, not in trees.
During the time when frogs mate, the male frog makes calls to show he is there. He hides among low plants and makes short "shrieks" every now and then. The eggs of these frogs might be laid on the forest floor, hidden among fallen leaves.
After the tadpoles hatch, the parent frog carries them on its back. They are taken to small, temporary pools of water. These pools are often found in the leaves of plants like Heliconia.
What Is Its Status?
Scientists haven't studied the Santiago poison frog a lot. However, the places where it lives are very remote. This means its home is not disturbed much by people.
There is some small-scale gold mining in the area. But it's not clear if this activity harms the frogs. The number of these frogs seems to be steady. They are common in some parts of their home range. Scientists believe the total area where they live might be around 7,350 square kilometers (2,840 square miles).
