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Amphibian Fact Sheet
Malagasy Climbing Mantella
LC· Least ConcernMantella laevigata
Humid lowland rainforest with lots of bamboo and tree holes.
Fact Sheet
About this animal
Key facts about the malagasy climbing mantella.
Common Name
Malagasy Climbing Mantella
Scientific Name
Mantella laevigata
Classification
Amphibia • Anura • Mantellidae
Distribution
Rainforests of north-eastern Madagascar, including Nosy Mangabe.
Habitat
Humid lowland rainforest with lots of bamboo and tree holes.
Range map · red pin marks a typical locationView larger map
Lifecycle
Unusual for a mantella — females lay single eggs above water-filled tree holes and bamboo stumps; tadpoles drop in and develop there.
Diet
Insectivore: ants, mites and other tiny invertebrates.
Size
About 2.5–3 cm (1 in).
Lifespan
6–8 years.
Conservation Status
LC· Least Concern
Least Concern, but pressured by deforestation.Behaviour
Diurnal and, unlike most mantellas, an active climber up bamboo and small trees.
Adaptations
Yellow-and-black colours warn predators; sticky fingertip pads help it climb wet plants.
Predators
Snakes, birds and small mammals — mostly avoid it because of skin toxins.
Interesting Facts
- Also called the 'arboreal mantella' because it lives high off the ground.
- Mothers sometimes lay unfertilised eggs for their tadpoles to eat.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) · Habitat: Masoala rainforest, Madagascar — Wikimedia Commons