Reproductive Strategy

Unlike most frogs that exhibit sexual dimorphism with the female being significantly larger than the male, this is not the case with most Poison Dart Frogs. In many instances the male is about the same size as the female (Myers and Daly 1983). A female may lay anywhere from two upwards to forty eggs per reproductive bout. While this is considerably lower than many other frogs it is somewhat offset by the fact that they breed continuously throughout the year. "Dendrobatid eggs are laid in leaf litter, in crevices under rocks, on shaded leaves aboveground or in such tropical growths as bromeliads and arums" (Myers and Daly 1983). Often the eggs are then "watched" by what is known as a nurse frog. After hatching the nurse frog carries the young tadpoles on their back to a suitable area of water where they are released and allowed to fend for themselves (Myers and Daly 1983).

Dendrobates imitator. Photo courtesy of Jimmi Pedersen.