Territorial Dive-Bombing in Phyllobates terribilis During Nest and Egg Checks

During routine maintenance and egg checks, a small captive group of Phyllobates terribilis displayed a striking pattern of defensive behaviour that appears to be both territorial and nest-related. When lifting coconut hides and gently probing leaf litter to locate potential clutches, each frog began to actively “dive-bomb” the keeper’s hand. Individuals rushed from cover, launched themselves toward the hand, and made contact with sufficient force to resemble a miniature body-slam before quickly retreating.

This behaviour did not appear to be random startle response. Instead, it followed a repeatable sequence over multiple sessions, including:

1. brief assessment (frogs orient visually toward the hand),

2. rapid approach,

3. physical impact, and

4. withdrawal to cover, followed by another individual repeating the action.

Notably, the responses seemed coordinated in the sense that attacks were sequential rather than simultaneous, as if each frog “calculated” its turn. While territory-defense and nest-site defense are well-documented concepts across amphibians, P. terribilis is more commonly associated with boldness, foraging drive, and parental care rather than overt physical-contact defense. The behaviour here was consistent across several test events, and occurred primarily when hides were lifted or areas associated with suspected oviposition were disturbed.

Functionally, this appears to serve as a threat-reduction behaviour: making physical contact with the intruder to deter further disturbance while avoiding prolonged exposure. In a captive context, defensive wrestling and aggressive posturing are occasionally reported in Phyllobates and Dendrobates spp., especially when guarding tadpoles or leaf axils, but full dive-bombing toward a keeper’s hand is an uncommon and fascinating expression of territoriality.

For keepers, this observation reinforces a few behavioural points about Phyllobates terribilis:

• they exhibit high situational awareness and rapid stimulus evaluation,

• reproductive sites and hides may be defended more actively than expected, and

• territoriality in poison frogs can include brief physical contact rather than solely visual bluffing or vocal displays.

While anecdotal, repeated trials suggest that P. terribilis is not only bold but capable of tactical, goal-directed defensive actions when breeding resources are involved. Further hobbyist and research documentation would help clarify whether this is a broader behavioural trait in the species or a localized expression tied to enclosure dynamics, sex ratio, or clutch presence.