Ameerega altamazonica

The Tarapoto poison frog (Ameerega altamazonica) is a frog.  It lives in Peru.

Body
The adult frog is 18-25 mm long from nose to rear end. These frogs can have different colors depending on where they live. Mostly, the skin of the frog's back is black or dark brown in color with two white stripes from the nose all down the body and two more from the mouth down the front legs. Frogs that live further north are darker in color. Frogs that live further south have copper-colored skin and orange color to confuse animals that want to eat the frog near where the back legs meet the body.

Because this frog has bright colors, like other frogs in Ameerega, scientists think it also has poison in its skin, like other frogs in Ameerega.

Home
People have seen this frog in many places, usually near roads or small streams. People only sometimes see it in forest that has been destroyed and is growing back. Scientists saw the frog between 150 and 865 meters above sea level.

The frog lives in at least one protected park, Parque Nacional Río Abiseo. Scientists think it might also live in Área de Conservación Cordillera Escalera and Parque Nacional Cordillera Azul.

Young
The male frog sits on the dead leaves on the ground and calls to the female frogs. His voice sounds like "peep." Scientists have not seen wild frogs lay eggs. When the frog lives with humans, the female puts her eggs on dead leaves on the ground or on leaves of living plants near the ground. She lays  14-22 eggs at a time. After the eggs hatch, the adult male frog carries the tadpoles tow water.

The tadpoles are dark brown in color with two white spots, one on each side of the mouth.

Danger
Scientists say this frog is not in danger of dying out.  It lives in a large place and it is good at living in places that people have changed. People sometimes catch this frog to sell as a pet, but scientists say that this is not a danger to the frog. Also, not many people want this frog for a pet.

First paper

References

Category:Frogs of South America
Category:Poison dart frogs