Hobbies And Interests
Appearance
The black-legged dart frog is mostly yellow in color -- yellow covers its back and head. The other typical feature is black hind and front legs. They also often have spots and pattern variations with spots mixed in. All poisonous frogs have very bright colors, including a variety of yellows, blues and reds, which evolved to signal potential predators as to the dangers they may be encountering.
Location and Size
All black-legged dart frogs live within the rain forests of South and Central America, usually on the ground and near water. Both males and females of the frog species are roughly the same size, which is fairly unusual because female frogs within most species are usually larger.
Feeding
Black-legged dart frogs tend to be active throughout the day; hunting consists of mostly an assortment of insects and arthropods, such as termites, flies or ants. The primary method by which these frogs capture prey is in their tongue. The long tongue can be shot out at prey and contains a "sticky" section that grabs the prey and then retracts into their mouths.
Conservation
One unusual aspect of poison dart frogs -- including the black-legged dart frogs -- is that breeding in captivity often renders the poison on the back of the frogs useless. Although unsure as to the reason, according to the Animal Diversity Web, the reasons are speculated to be either within the diet or the lack of environmental bacteria. The frogs have also been labeled as endangered because destruction of many rainforest regions has led to a rapid population decline.