North American dart frog (SciiFii)

The North American dart frog (Allobates americanum), also known as the North American poison frog, the North American poison-arrow frog, and the North American poison dart frog, is a species of frog in the family Aromobatidae, most closely related to the brilliant-thighed poison frog (Allobates femoralis), that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the rainforests, wetlands, forests, and open woodlands across North America and Central America to help boost biodiversity. The North American poison dart frog is a small frog species, the males growing to 28 to 33 mm (1.1 to 1.3 inches) in length and the females being marginally larger. The back is orange or brown and the limbs are greenish-grey. The throat is black and the belly is white, variously marked with black. A lime green dorso-lateral stripe runs from the snout (as orange in color) to the base of the legs and an intermittent lime green ventro-lateral line runs from the snout to the arm and onwards to the leg. There is an dark blue patch behind the arm and a half-moon shaped lime green patch on the outside of the thigh. The North American dart frog is the least poisonous of the poison dart frogs, being known to kill any animal about the size of a chicken or smaller upon contact with the frog's skin, but isn't lethal to larger animals such as humans. While the North American dart frog is normally toxic like other related species, some populations in western United States are not known to be toxic. The North American dart frog is a terrestrial frog species active during the day. It feeds on small insects such as beetles, flies, maggots, crickets, roaches, ants, and termites; the juveniles largely feed on springtails and other tiny insects. Breeding takes place during the spring. The males are territorial and court females for two or three days before a clutch of between about nine to eighteen eggs is laid in a nest among fallen leaves. To ward off intruders, they use a series of calls, chases, and wrestling. The male guards the eggs, and after they have hatched, he carries the tadpoles to pools of water on his back. Like other members of the genus Allobates, the tadpoles of the North American dart frog develop into froglets in the nest, without entering water, and after 10 to 12 weeks the tadpoles are fully mature. Both sexes reach sexual maturity at one year of age. The expected lifespan of the North American dart frog is between 6 and 9 years in the wild and about 12 years in captivity. The conservation status of the North American dart frog is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the North American dart frog's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii