African Claw Frog - Xenopus laevis

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African Clawed Frogs (Xenopus laevis) and African Dwarf Frogs (Hymenochirus sp.) have been popular with aquarists since since the 1950's when they were first imported to the U.S. Unfortunately, they also made it into local waterways, and today are well established in several states, including Texas, California and Arizona. Ravenous predators, these frogs have been implicated in the declines of a number of native invertebrate, amphibian and fish species. Because of their invasive status, they are illegal to keep in some states. Feral populations of African Clawed Frogs are also to be found in Mexico, Chile, France, Italy, Java, Japan, Indonesia, Great Britain, the Ascension Islands and elsewhere.

These two varieties are very similar in appearance, but differ in their adult size. The larger African Clawed Frogs have un-webbed front feet and three black claws on each back foot. All of the African Dwarf Frogs feet are webbed. Clawed Frogs grow much larger than their dwarf counterparts and should be kept alone or in suitably large, well-filtered aquariums. Both frogs can prey on small tankmates. Clawed Frogs accept frozen foods and even some pellets and food sticks, but live foods like blackworms or live brine shrimp may be needed to stimulate feeding, especially the dwarf frogs. Food items should be small enough for the frog to swallow since they eat their food whole, and diet should never consist of pellets alone. Since frogs can produce a great deal of waste, good filtration and regular water changes are important and water quality should be monitored closely. Ornaments and substrate should be smooth to avoid damaging the frog's sensitive skin.