wing-flapping, ferociously sipping nectar.
Heliconius doris butterflies, and even the
occasional awe-inspiring Blue Morpho
(Morpho menelaus) flitter amongst the violet
flowers of the Purple Wing Vine. We are
headed down the hill toward the enclosed
ranario (frog sanctuary). John Jimenez greets
us at the entrance, near the poison dart frog
house.
“There are five poison dart frogs, or PDFs, in
Costa Rica, but only two here at La Paz.” He
rattles off their names: “The Blue Jeans
Poison Dart Frog (Oophaga pumilio), the
Army Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates
auratus), also called the Green and Black
PDF, the Yellow-striped PDF (Dendrobates
truncatus), the Caribbean Striped PDF
(Phyllobates lugubris), and the Pacific PDF
(Phyllobates vittatus), often called the
Orange-striped PDF.” The most poisonous of
all, this latter species only resides on the
central and south Pacific side of the country.
Even as John enumerates on his fingers, we
approach a glass cage with a solitary bright-
red frog with cobalt-blue legs. A Blue Jeans
morph of the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog
(O. pumilio) peers out timidly from under a
tattered leaf. The diminutive cerise head and
body, slightly speckled, contrast sharply with
the sapphire back legs and arms just below
the elbows. Not to mention the inky-black
eyes that never seem to blink.
1 .
“Reproduction entails an
intricately-choreographed
ritual involving courtship
and combat amongst
the males.”
2 .
“These frogs are aposematicó,” Jimenez
explains in his native Spanish. “Small in
stature, but bold and colourful.” And it’s their
beautiful colouration that serves as a warning
signal to would-be predators. Aposematism, a
term derived from Ancient Greek, can take
the form of a foul stench, the presence of fear-
some spines, displays of aggressive behaviour,
or, in the case of the poison arrow frogs,
conspicuous colouration - any advertisement
to potential predators that this particular prey
item might not be palatable. In the jungle, the
frogs feed on formicine ants, mites and spiders,
and it’s this specialized diet that is responsible for
the potent alkaloids that exude from their skin. In
captivity, on an alternative diet, poison dart frogs
gradually lose their toxicity.
The tiny amphibian retreats inside the humid leaf
litter. Reproduction in this species entails an
intricately-choreographed ritual involving court-
ship and combat amongst the males. The eggs are
laid on the forest floor, and when the tadpoles
hatch, both parents tote them on their backs to