This diurnal tiny frog that measures only 20 to 25 millimeters (a little less than an inch), can be found in the humid forests at elevations from sea level to 960 meters above sea level in the lowlands of the Caribbean drainage of Central America, from Nicaragua to Northern Panama.

   The Dendrobates pumilio, known as poison dart frogs, derive their common name from the fact that the Indians of Western Colombia used the alkaloid poisons secreted from the frogs' skin glands to poison their blowgun darts.

   Brightly colored creatures, poison dart frogs can be identified by their smooth (or only slightly granular) red dorsum and usual partially or totally blue limbs. The male has a darkly pigmented vocal sac; meanwhile the female's throat region is red.

   During mating season, males make an insect-like buzz call, with which they attract their mate, and guide her to the site he has chosen as oviposition site, usually dry, curled leaves or dry leaves covered by other leaves, on the ground. The male deposits sperms on the leaf and afterwards, the female deposits the eggs on this spot to fertilize them. When the larvae hatch, the adults carry them to small water pools to develop, where the female parent feeds them with unfertilized, nutritive eggs.

   The majority of the poison dart frogs display their bright flashy colors for protection. Since these are very small amphibians, they can let predators know they can't be touched, because they are poisonous.