Polkadot poison frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Polkadot poison frog |
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The polkadot poison frog (Oophaga arborea) is a tiny, colorful frog found only in the country of Panama. It's sometimes called "rana venenosa" in Spanish, which means "poisonous frog." These frogs live in wet lowland and mountain forests. Sadly, their homes are disappearing. Because of this, the IUCN (a big group that studies nature) says this frog is "critically endangered." This means it's in great danger of disappearing forever.
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About the Polkadot Poison Frog
The polkadot poison frog is quite small, usually about 20 to 22 mm (0.8 to 0.9 in) long. That's about the size of a large paperclip! It has short back legs and longer front legs with big hands. Its fingers don't have webs between them. Most of them have flat, thick skin discs. This frog has brown eyes and no teeth in its upper jaw.
Male polkadot poison frogs have a small pouch on their throat called a vocal sac. When they're not using it to call, it hangs in folds. The skin on their belly and inner thighs is wrinkly. These frogs are usually black or brown with round yellow spots. These spots often stick out a little. The calls made by male frogs are similar to their relatives. However, scientists can tell them apart by how high or low the sound is, how long it lasts, and how much time is between each call.
Frog Family Tree
The polkadot poison frog is closely related to several other colorful poison frogs. These include the O. pumilio, O. sylvatica, O. speciosa, and O. granulifera. They all belong to the same group of frogs.
Life Cycle and Habits
The polkadot poison frog lives in trees. It makes its home among the mosses and epiphytic plants that grow on trees. You can find them in the thick forests of western Panama. They live at heights of up to 1,120 metres (3,670 ft) above sea level.
When a male frog wants to find a mate, he usually chooses a leaf of a bromeliad plant to call from. If a female frog is interested, she joins him for a special courtship dance. After this, the female lays a small group of about four to eight eggs on the leaf. The male then fertilizes these eggs. The female stays with the eggs for a short time. Then, the male covers them with his body.
When the tadpoles hatch, the male frog carries them on his back to small pools of water. These pools often form in the cup-shaped leaves of bromeliad plants. The tadpoles then grow and develop in these tiny pools.
Why This Frog Needs Our Help
The polkadot poison frog lives in a small area, less than 5,000 square kilometres (1,900 sq mi) in total. Even within this area, there are many separate groups of these frogs. We don't know if their numbers are going up or down. However, the forests where they live are being cut down for wood.
Another problem for these frogs is that people sometimes collect them for the pet trade. They can also get sick from a disease called chytridiomycosis. This disease affects amphibians around the world.
Luckily, some of the places where these frogs live are protected. These include the Parque Internacional La Amistad and the Bosque Protector Palo Seco. Because of all these challenges, the IUCN has listed the polkadot poison frog as "critically endangered." This means it's very important to protect them and their homes.
See also
In Spanish: Oophaga arborea para niños
