This tiny frog is called the golden mantella because of its vibrant, golden-orange color. Just like other brightly colored frogs, its colors serve as a warning to predators that it's poisonous – at least in the wild.
To produce its toxins, the golden mantella needs to eat specific insects. When it eats other foods, like here at Odense ZOO, it doesn’t become poisonous. In this way, it’s similar to the poison dart frogs from South America that you can also meet in our rainforest exhibit.
The golden mantella lives only on the island of Madagascar. It’s what we call an endemic species – meaning it is found nowhere else on Earth. Today, its natural habitat has shrunk to just 10 square kilometers – making it critically endangered.