Golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis).
Image: Holger Krisp, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
At a glance
- IUCN category
- EN · Endangered
- Animal group
- Reptiles & Amphibians
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- FaunaHub record reviewed
- Checked against IUCN
- Matches source — IUCN's 2017 global assessment of Phyllobates terribilis says EndangeredChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment
Conservation overview
The golden poison frog is one of the most toxic animals on Earth, a small, brilliantly coloured frog from Colombia. It is assessed as Endangered.
Its bright colour warns predators of the potent toxins in its skin.
Range & habitat
A small area of rainforest on the Pacific coast of Colombia.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Deforestation
- Habitat degradation
- A very small range
Why it matters
Both a symbol of rainforest chemistry and a culturally important species, the golden poison frog highlights how a tiny range makes even an abundant-seeming animal vulnerable.
Gallery
Golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis).
Image: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
Sources for Golden Poison Frog
- IUCN Red List — look up Golden Poison Frog (authoritative status)
- AmphibiaWeb (UC Berkeley)