Mantella baroni
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
Mantella baroni (often known by its common names, such as Baron's mantella, the variegated golden frog, or the Madagascar poison frog) is a species of small poisonous frog in the family Mantellidae. The species was first formally described by George Albert Boulenger in 1888, who penned the species' binomial after Richard Baron, an English botanist and missionary to Madagascar, who collected and studied the species.
Like other species in Mantellidae, this taxon is endemic to Madagascar. This family is estimated to have colonized the island of Madagascar 76–87 million years ago, evolving in insular seclusion, and adaptively radiating in geographic range and number of species on the island. Mantellidae are phylogenetically related to Asiatic frogs, and therefore probably represent a dispersal event from Asia.
This is one of approximately 220 frog species (including 15 in Mantella) endemic only to Madagascar. It has a moderately-large elongated geographic range in East-Central Madagascar, inland from the east coast, and spanning north to south, from Fierenana south to Andringitra.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist... Wikipedia →
Recording0:47
Madagascar · 2026
© James Bailey · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Mantadia National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Academy of Sciences | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Detroit Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Mandraka Reptile Farm | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 4 | Croc Farm Ivato | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Baron's Mantella sighting in Mantadia National Park on a given day, based on 32 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 7 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November to January
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Baron's Mantella in Mantadia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to August, the lowest months. Those are among Mantadia National Park's wettest months, with about 220 mm of rain a month against 60 mm in September.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Baron's Mantella sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Baron's Mantella sightings, Mantadia National Park ranks 2nd at about 50%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Ranomafana National Park (Madagascar, about 50%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Baron's Mantella is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Mantadia National Park (32 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
