| Feb 14, 2023
Gold African Clawed Frogs!
Also known as Xenopus laevis, Gold African Clawed Frogs are named for the three short claws on each hind foot. Xenopus means "strange foot" and laevis means "smooth".
These frogs are typically found in the wild in the ponds and rivers of South East Africa. They often use the "claws" on their hind feet for swiftly swimming, lunging after prey and food, and scooping and tearing apart their food. They are the only amphibians to have claws for digging, climbing, and tearing food apart. These frogs can live up to
15-30 years old and grow up to
4-5 inches in length.
Gold African Clawed Frogs differ from African Dwarf frogs in that they are different in color and have webbing on just their hind feet instead of all four feet like the African Dwarf. They also have their eyes on the top of their heads while the African Dwarf has eyes on the side of their heads. What's more, African Clawed Frogs have curved, flat noses and the African Dwarf frogs have pointed noses.
Easily adapted to many habitats and conditions, the Gold African Clawed Frog has a very unique genetic makeup. They are tongue-less, tooth-less, and do not have ear drums but rather subcutaneous cartilaginous disks for hearing. Plus, even though they do not have vocal chords or a vocal sac, they can make mating calls using special laryngeal muscles - sounding much like ticking or cricket chirping noises. The lateral line (which can be seen as small marks down the sides of the frog) are used to pick up vibrations in water with low visibility. Each season, the Gold African Clawed Frog will shed its skin and then consume its own shed skin, and their skin produces a kind of antibiotic that helps heal wounds quickly too! Due to their molecular biology, seven African Clawed Frogs even accompanied the first African American woman in space, Mae Jemison, on the Space Shuttle Endeavour on Spacelab mission "J" so scientists could study how zero gravity affected reproduction and development in 1992.
On land the Gold African Clawed Frog crawls instead of hopping, and if their natural water habitat dries up they can burrow in the mud and remain dormant for up to an entire year! African Clawed Frogs require some hiding spaces in their habitat, as well. However, special heating or lighting is not completely required - except to possibly maintain a regular day / night cycle. While they do not require land space, the water level should only reach about 12 inches deep so they may easily get to the surface for air. A tight, secure lid on any African Clawed Frog enclosure is also a must as they are fantastic escape artists with strong enough legs to propel themselves out of the water.
Please note: pet parents are encouraged to not release any African Clawed Frogs into the wild - as is with many other pets - as they are hardy to multiple conditions, will eat the young of other native frogs, and are voracious predators that will happily invade any space they can given the opportunity.
Right now until March 13th, 2023 you can get your very own Gold African Clawed Frogs for
only $6.49 each at Uncle Bill's Pet Centers with your
Extra Value Card!