Aposematic Coloration

A "poison-arrow" frog, Dendrobates pumilo, displays its warning (aposematic) coloration. Its bright red body and blue legs make it stand out against the greens and browns of the rainforest floor.

Animals which rely on advertising their poison, rather than crypsis, are freer to move about and forage during daylight. This frog species actively forages during the day in Central American rainforests.

The links among how an animal protects itself, activity cycle, and foraging style are important. To undserstand how animals behave in the field, these factors must be considered as a group, rather than in isolation from one another.

Aposematic coloration should only evolve in species whose predators have color vision. What might be important predators of frogs in rainforests?

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