Dendrobates azureus
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[Photo] Dendrobates azureus. Date 24 June 2007. Author Chrumps http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Chrumps

Dendrobates azureus is a type of poison dart frog found in South America, specifically in the Sipaliwini District in Suriname. Dendrobates azureus is widely known as the Blue Poison Dart Frog or by its Tirio Indian name, Okopipi. It takes its species name from the fact that it is colored azure.

Physical description
The frog has blue skin and black patches, which serve as a warning to would-be predators that the skin contains a deadly neurotoxin. It grows between 3 and 4.5 cm in length and has a typical lifespan of 4-6 years in the wild. It is highly recognizable by its hunch-back appearance.

Ecology and behavior
Within its native range, Dendrobates azureus is found in dark moist areas, especially under rocks near streams. Unlike most frogs, it lays its eggs on land, usually under a rock in a mossy area.

Although Poison dart frogs are known for their skin toxin, used on the tips of arrows or darts of natives, in reality only the species of the Phyllobates genus are used in this manner, although all poison dart frogs have some level of toxicity. The paralytic neurotoxins are not produced by the frog itself, but taken from many of its insect prey in the wild and deposited in the skin. As a result, frogs raised in captivity (often for the pet market) lack defensive poison. When these frogs are tadpoles, they also lack defensive poison.

Trivia
Dendrobates azureus is the mascot of the Azureus project, an open source client for the BitTorrent protocol.
Okopipi (software tool) is also the name used by the newer version of Blue Frog.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrobates_azureus

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