Vibrant but toxic, there are more than 100 species of poison dart frogs, varying in color and pattern. Color shades vary among frogs within a species. It is the skin that contains the frog's poison. They do not manufacture their poison themselves, but rather it is theorized that they take the toxins from the ants, mites, and beetles on which they live. They absorb the insects' poisons into their body, which are immune to the poison. The poison is stored in skin glands just beneath the frog's epidermis... (information from wikipedia ).
These beautiful colors are warnings to potential predators that the frogs are poisonous. Other species, such as monarch butterflies, also sport bright colors to advertise their toxicity. Several species of non-poisonous frogs evolved with similar coloring to avoid being eaten. The fact that the more saturated the color is, the more poisonous the frog, is an interesting concept.
Color saturation refers to how vivid and intense a color is
and also refers to the vibrancy and purity of color.
Golden Dart Frog - its color from left (20% saturation, at right 96%)
Bright Yellow 2022-30 Benjamin Moore
Granular Poison Frog (from Costa Rica and Panama)
Orange 2011-10 Benjamin Moore
Granular frog at varying levels of saturation
Blue Poison Dart Frog (the blue here is at 87% saturation)
This saturated blue was impossible to find in a paint sample but I have a couple that are close.
Blue is paired nicely with grayish/whites but also with its opposite, orange.
The blue here is"evening blue - 2066-20" and the orange below is called "orange parrot - 2169-20".
This saturated blue was impossible to find in a paint sample but I have a couple that are close.
Blue is paired nicely with grayish/whites but also with its opposite, orange.
The blue here is"evening blue - 2066-20" and the orange below is called "orange parrot - 2169-20".
