Amazonian Poison Frog

The Amazonian Poison Frog, scientifically known as Ranitomeya ventrimaculata, is a very small species of dendrobatid. Adults typically grow to only about 15 to 20 millimeters in length.

This frog is found throughout the western Amazon Basin across countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil. They live almost exclusively high up in the tropical rainforest canopy.

They exhibit complex parental care, with the mother transporting individual tadpoles on her back. She places each tadpole into a separate, tiny pool of water that collects inside the leaves of bromeliad plants.

While wild frogs derive their toxic properties from their natural diet of specific ants and mites, captive-bred frogs are harmless. Without their specific wild diet, they do not produce the alkaloid toxins.