Another extremely important physical characteristic of D. auratus is the poison glands located throughout the surface of their body. Their bright colors are believed to encourage predators with color vision to avoid the frogs. The boldly contrasting patterns may be aposematic to those predators that lack color vision, although this has not been proven. Approximately 90 alkaloids have been identified from all the species of dendrobatids. They capture their prey by using their sticky, retractible tounges as well as their excellent eyesight.
Male frogs go through an elaborate ritual to attract mates.
The male first fight among themselves to establish territories, which are then fixed for the remainder of the mating season. The male then attracts a female with vocalizations consisting of trilling sounds. Part of mating behavior involves the frogs rubbing against each other. Once the courtship ritual is completed, the female lays up to six eggs in a small pool of water. The eggs are encased in a gelatinous substance for protection.