THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Panama - page 341

STRAWBERRY POISON DART FROGS
Probably Bastimentos' most famous residents, the dazzling strawberry poison dart frogs
( oophaga pumilio ), no larger than a thumbnail, are actually widespread along the Carib-
bean lowlands from Nicaragua to western Panama. But nowhere is their colouration and
size - “morphs” as they are termed - as varied as here. That said, the place you're least
likely to spot these amphibians, ironically, is on Red Frog Beach as local kids have cap-
tured many to impress tourists and charge for photos. Don't touch the frogs, whatever the
kids may urge, both for the obvious reasons of animal welfare, but also since the poison
can get into the bloodstream if you have a cut or abrasion, though it won't kill you.
The most commonly sighted poison dart frog is the smart “blue-jeans” morph, whose bril-
liant scarlet torso fades into cobalt blue or purple legs, though on Bastimentos these se-
ductive amphibians span red, orange, gold, green or even white, and are often speckled
with black. The “poison dart” title given to the family derived from the likes of the Co-
lombian golden poison frog ( phyllobates terriblis ) that secretes a particularly lethal toxin -
sufficient to kill up to twenty people - and which has traditionally been used by the Chocó
(ancestors of the present-day Emberá) to coat darts and arrows for hunting.
While the dazzling colouration aimed at alerting would-be predators to the poison beneath
their skin is what most attracts tourists to these fluorescent creatures, their behaviour is
equally striking. Extremely territorial, male dart frogs can be seen locked in combat among
the leaf-litter like miniature wrestlers, comically teetering on their hind legs trying to pin
their opponent down in submission with the front legs. Mating occurs at any time of year
and after the small clutch of eggs has been laid and fertilized, the male periodically pees on
them to keep them moist. Once hatched, the female gives each tadpole a piggy-back ride,
one by one, up to the canopy, depositing them in separate water-filled bromeliads. Over
the next few weeks, she returns frequently to deposit unfertilized eggs in the water for the
tadpoles to feed on as they mature.
Old Bank (Bastimentos Town)
Old Bank , the island's main settlement of around nine hundred, sits on the westernmost
point, a quick hop by water-taxi from Bocas. An undulating, cracked concrete path acts as its
main thoroughfare, snaking its way between tightly packed houses built out over the water
on stilts, past reggaeton beats, discarded bikes and old men slamming down dominoes and up
to a steep, green hillside dotted with some precariously built wooden homes. A jungle path ,
occasionally impassable after heavy rains, leads to several glorious beaches twenty minutes
away on the other side of the island.