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Really?
18 NAT GEO KIDS^ •^ MAY 2022
You feel the temperature and humidity rise as your vehicle
whirs through the canopy of the tropical rainforest of Costa
Rica. A type of forest that grows along Earth’s equator, this
warm and rainy habitat supports more species than any
other ecosystem.
You quickly notice a splash of minty green on the rainforest
floor—it’s a green-and-black poison frog. You might not
expect such an eye-catching creature to be out during the
day, but the frog’s bright color alerts potential predators
that it isn’t good snacking: The frog has stored up poison in
its skin from the ants and termites it eats.
Many frogs lay their eggs in different watery spots. But the
female black-and-green poison frog deposits up to 10 eggs
right on the rainforest floor before hopping off. That way, the
male can defend the eggs all together rather than travel
from pool to pool to keep them safe, says Sabrina Burmeister,
a professor of biology at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill.
But once they hatch, the gilled tadpoles need to be in
water. So Dad piggybacks one or two at a time into the trees,
up to 80 feet. He’ll leave each tadpole in water that has
pooled in leaves or tree holes, where the baby will grow into a
frog. These treetop “nests” are safer than predator-filled riv-
ers and lakes.
But how did Dad find those tiny nurseries in the first place?
“Before the eggs hatch, the males explore their environments
for suitable pools of water, and then they have to remember
where they are,” Burmeister says. “That way, when they’re
carrying their tadpoles, they can go directly to the pools.”
As a sudden downpour threatens to soak the rainforest,
you climb back into the vehicle and head off. You won’t be dry
for long: You’re headed to an underwater forest.
MEEERICCCA
NORTTTH
SOUTTTH
AMEERIC
CCA
PPPA
O CCIFFFIC
CCEEEA
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TTTL
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I better snap a pic!
Hop along as these amphibians take
tadpoles up into rainforest trees.
Here’s where
black-and-green
poison frogs live.
That’s what these frogs say, too!
Male frogs make a chirping noise
that sounds like cheez-cheez-
cheez to attract a mate.
What do you say when you get
your picture taken?
Cheese!
@NatGeoKids
is texting you!
TROPICAL RAINFOREST
Green-and-Black
Poison Frog