Green and black poison dart frog in Corcovado National Park

The green and black poison dart frog, (Dendrobates auratus) is a brightly-colored member of the order Anura and is a native to Costa Rica.  It is commonly seen in the Osa Peninsula and the Corcovado National park during the Bahia Aventuras Corcovado Tour.  They are usually found on the floor of the rain forest and prefer locations near small streams or pools.

The adults are approximately 4 cm long and have a fused head and trunk with no tail.  Another important physical characteristic is the poison glands located throughout the surface of their body. Their bright colors are believed to encourage predators with color vision to avoid the frogs. The boldly contrasting patterns may be aposematic to predators that lack color vision, although this has not been proven.  They are diurnal, and are seldom still during the day, constantly searching for food and taking care of young.  They also have distinctive hopping motions.