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 Ranomafana National Park on a given day, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 14 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.
December
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Baron's Mantella in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and August, the lowest months.
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.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Baron's Mantella sightings, Ranomafana National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Mantadia National Park (Madagascar, about 50%).
Same family: Mantellidae
The closest relatives of the Baron's Mantella that you can see in Ranomafana National Park (family Mantellidae, Mantellas) are Madagascar Bright-eyed Frog (about 60%), Pandanus Frog (about 50%) and Ivohimanita Madagascar Frog (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Baron's Mantella is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Ranomafana National Park (40 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.
