All frogs (order Anura) produce poisonous skin secretions; however, humans do not notice the toxicity or suffer skin irritation when handling most species. Nonetheless, handling one of the brightly coloured dendrobatids, such as Dendrobates and Phyllobates, requires caution because their alkaloid skin secretions are potentially lethal if absorbed through human mucous membranes (mucous membrane) or passed into the body through a cut on the skin. In fact, the skin secretion of the true poison dart frog, or golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis), is so toxic that the tip of a dart rubbed across its back picks up sufficient poison to kill a large bird or a monkey. The origin and production of the toxic skin secretions remains uncertain, but at least in some dendrobatids it appears to be derived from their consumption of beetles (beetle), their primary prey. When kept in captivity and fed a diet devoid of beetles, the skin secretions of poison frogs lack the highly toxic alkaloids.

Parental care of the young, which is often performed by the male, occurs in all poison frog species. The male attracts a female to his residence beneath a leaf or log, and she lays the eggs (egg) and often departs. The male remains to guard the clutch; however, in some species the female remains. When the tadpoles (tadpole) hatch, the parent allows the tadpoles to swim or crawl up onto his or her back. They are subsequently carried to a nearby body of water (such as a stream, a pond, or a tree-hole). There, the tadpoles slide off the back of the parent and into the water to complete their development.

Superficially, the mantelline frogs of Madagascar (family Mantellidae) appear nearly identical to the dendrobatids; however, they are not closely related. The similarities between the two groups are attributed to convergent evolution (evolution). Also, both are comparable in terms of physical size, as mantellines range from 15 to 120 mm (0.6 inch to nearly 5 inches) from snout to vent, although most species are less than 60 mm (about 2.5 inches) long. While the skin secretions of the mantellines have not been thoroughly studied, the secretions of Mantella are toxic and capable of killing vertebrate predators.

Mantellines include more than 100 species in three genera of terrestrial to arboreal (tree-dwelling) forms that live in semiarid scrubland to rainforest habitats. Some species lay eggs on leaves that overhang bodies of water, and hatching larvae then drop into the water. Other species lay terrestrial eggs that develop either directly into froglets or into a nonaquatic, nonfeeding tadpole stage. In addition, parental care occurs in some mantelline species with terrestrial eggs.