[1][2][3][4] To what extent it differs from the blue D. tinctorius in southern Guyana, adjacent Pará (Brazil) and possibly far southwestern Suriname, is also a matter of dispute, and many herpetologists, as well as many people keeping poison dart frogs in captivity, have not distinguished these, with all commonly being identified as "azureus".

Its bright blue skin, usually darker around its limbs and stomach, serves as a warning to predators.

The glands of poisonous alkaloids located in the skin serve as a defence mechanism to potential predators.

The blue poison dart frog is a terrestrial animal, but, as an amphibian, stays close to water sources.

Although poison dart frogs are known for their skin toxins used on the tips of hunting-arrows of natives, in reality only the species of the genus Phyllobates are used in this manner.

Thus, all captive and captive-bred dart frog specimens, including wild-collected individuals, lose their toxicity as a result of a change in diet.

The blue poison dart frog breeds seasonally, usually during February or March when the weather is rainy.