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Red piranha
Banded leporinus
Spotted algae eater
Red Terror
Yellow-headed Poison Frog
Yellow-headed Poison Frog
Facts
| Latin | Dendrobates leucomelas |
| Size | 2.5 cm |
| Food | Ants, mites, beetles |
| Habitat | Rainforest |
| IUCN | Least concern |
| Location | South America in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Venezuela and Boliva |
| Map |  |
Beautiful, colourful… and dangerous!
The bright colours of the yellowbanded poison dart frog look beautiful, but they aren’t meant to impress us. The colours serve as a warning to enemies to keep their distance because the frogs are poisonous.
Secret weapon of the Native American Indians
The yellow-banded poison dart frog got its name because Native American populations of South America used the poison from the frogs in their darts and arrows. The powerful nerve toxin can paralyse a victim instantly, making the darts and arrows extra deadly.
Should the aquarium staff be afraid of the poisonous frogs?
In the wild, the poisonous frogs create their deadly toxin by eating poisonous insects. At the National Aquarium Denmark, they are fed fruit flies, which means the frogs are quite harmless.
Jumping frog at large!
The yellow-headed poisonous dart frog loves to jump about, and here at the National Aquarium Denmark a frog will sometimes leap over the sides of the enclosure. But don’t worry! The frogs are not poisonous and the aquarium staff will make sure that any escaped frogs are caught again.