Photo by Cesar Barrio Amoros
One of the most famous frogs of Costa Rica is known as Blue Jeans or Strawberry Poison-dart Frog (Dendrobates pumilio) it lives on the Caribbean side of the country. However, few people know its Pacific version, the granular poison-dart frog (Dendrobates granuliferus) which is not very common, although equally charismatic and beautiful. It lives in small creeks in the mountains, and it is especially visible and audible in the rainy season when males sing during the daytime emitting sounds like crickets. Its color is variable, ranging from emerald green in northern populations to an orange or reddish on the dorsum with bluish members; some specimens are yellow and green. The main difference with the Blue Jeans frog is granular skin.
Another interesting feature is that the females lay their eggs, one at a time, in cavities hoding water. Every so often, they visit their tadpoles leaving a new infertile eggs for them to feed on. They are toxic, so it is not advisable to touch them. Their skin has a substance that could be harmful if it is accidentally licked or swallowed.
Let’s enjoy these beautiful frogs, which are sometimes visiting our gardens, and let them go on with their lives without disturbing them.
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Photos by Cesar Cesar Barrio Amoros
