So we made it to Friday’s edition of our Wild Frog Facts.  We are going to end the week with another colourful frog species called the Mantella.  Again these frogs can only be found in Madagascar.  Is it just me or does Madagascar seem to have an abundance of impressive frog species?  There are approximately 16 different Mantella frog species so you can imagine that they come in various colours.

For the most part, Mantella frogs are about 5 cm (2″) long and come in a variety of iridescent colours including blue, orange, yellow, black, and of course green.  I have said it before and I will say it again, what is an animal trying to tell you by having bright colours?  That’s right, “Don’t eat me since I am toxic and can hurt you”.  Believe it or not the skin of many Mantella frogs have a toxin similar to the Poison Dart Frogs of South America.  You know how I keep telling you that bright animals are generally poisonous.  Well, this isn’t always the case.  Some Mantella species don’t actually contain any toxins yet are still brightly coloured.  This mimicry is an effective tool to ensure that predators don’t try to make them their next dinner.  I know I wouldn’t want to guess which one was deadly and which one was just messing with me.

The Mantella frogs hang out on the ground throughout the forests of this amazing island.  They are diurnal which means they do their hunting during the day.  This makes a lot of sense since their prey such as ants and termites are also active during the daylight hours.  Unfortunately, small insects don’t need to be too afraid since 11 of the 16 species of Mantella are considered to be threatened or vulnerable.

Like other frogs, the Mantella has very porous skin and as a result responds quickly to changes in the environment.  This is why frogs are excellent indicators species that predict how our healthy our environment is.  Obviously, the fact that frog populations are decreasing worldwide does not paint a very pretty picture. 

Mantella Fast Fact – When early explorers first stumbled across the Mantella frogs, they believed they were actually Poison Dart Frogs from South America.  We now know that this isn’t the case but the Mantella  is a distant relative of their South American cousins.

That does it for Wild Frog Facts.  I hope you enjoyed the week as much as I did.  Have a great weekend!