Dendrobates tinctorius!

Blue and yellow … colors that most certainly are not associated with the rainforest. But somehow they also appear on the forest floor in the form of the species Dendrobates tinctorius. Also known as the Dyeing Poison frog. Just look at the patterns.

The Dendrobates tinctorius is approximately 5 cm long, this makes him also one of the largest poison frog known so far. This hunchback looking frog is only found in Brazil, Guyana, French-Guyana and Suriname.

The Dendrobates tinctorius is active during the day, but that doesn't mean it will hop continuously.  But when noticed it will surely hop its way to the next escape route. I have seen a couple of times that the Dendrobates tinctorius hopped its way up a tree, at least 5 meters high, hiding between all the leaves. At Kilo 3 you can spot these fellows near the creek at cool spots such like logs and tree trunks, sometimes near prickly palms. In Kabalebo you can spot this frog only at Kilo 3 because of its dark and moist environment where temperatures are a little bit cooler than the other hiking trails. 

To survive they eat termites, tiny crickets, flies and ants. Due to their special diet they are highly toxic.
During rainy season these fellows are easily seen at Kilo 3, but during dry season they usually hide away under rocks or in cool moist places … close to the creek. 

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