Meet Our Animals

Poison Blue Dart Frog

Dendrobates azureus

Names and Personal History:
Oko: Oko was donated to us by the San Francisco Zoo. He morphed in early 2008. We also have a female Blue Poison Dart Frog named Pipi who morphed in early 2008.

Native Habitat:
These frogs are native to the Sipaliwini District in the South of Suriname.

Environment:
They are commonly found on the forest floor and like to shelter in moist, dark places under rocks or logs next to slow flowing streams.

Physical Characteristics:
Blue Poison Dart Frogs are the largest dart frog species. Females can reach a length of almost two inches. They get their species name from their color which is "azure" blue, hence the name "azureus" meaning "blue one." Although this group of frogs is known for its toxic skin, only the members of the Phyllobates genus are poisonous enough to be used by the natives to top their blow darts with. All the others are mildly toxic, just enough to make them distasteful to predators. Those bred in captivity have virtually no toxin at all, as toxins come from the insects they eat in the wild, such as ants and termites.

Diet:
In captivity, we feed them fruit flies, very young crickets or springtails.