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African Clawed Frog
Xenopus laevis
The African Clawed Frog is a large, incredibly hardy aquatic species famous for its black claws and voracious appetite. It navigates water using a sensitive lateral line system to detect water movement.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Pipidae
Genus:Xenopus
Species:Xenopus laevis
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Water Temperature
18 - 24 °C
pH Value
6.5 - 8
Environment
Freshwater
Humidity
100 %
Day temperature
21 °C
Night temperature
17 °C
Ambient temperature
21 °C
Minimum enclosure
>= 45 L
UVB
None
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to the Congo basin and South Africa. Due to escapes and releases, it has become a highly invasive species in Europe, North America, and other regions, inhabiting slow-moving rivers, swamps, and muddy ponds.
Taxonomy and Genetics: A large, flat aquatic frog reaching 10–15 cm. The skin is smooth and slippery, featuring a visible sensory lateral line system. It has unwebbed front fingers used for shoving food into its mouth, and fully webbed hind feet with three black claws.
Behavior and Habits: Entirely aquatic and highly active. It cannot survive on land. Lacking a tongue, it uses its front hands to sweep prey into its large mouth. Males emit a clicking sound underwater to attract mates.
Morphology: Females are significantly larger and rounder than males, often looking like plump balloons. Males are much smaller and develop dark nuptial pads on their forelimbs during breeding.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a large aquarium (minimum 80–100 liters). The bottom must be bare or covered with fine sand, as gravel will be swallowed and cause fatal intestinal impactions. A secure, heavy lid is mandatory to prevent escapes.
Lighting and Heating: Keep water temperatures at a moderate 20–24°C; a water heater is recommended but they are highly temperature-tolerant. Provide low-to-moderate LED lighting and hideouts like PVC pipes or smooth caves.
Humidity and Hydration: Fully aquatic. They require a powerful canister filter to handle their high waste output. Perform weekly 50% water changes using dechlorinated water to maintain water health.
Feeding and Supplementation: Highly voracious carnivores. Feed them earthworms, frozen bloodworms, fish, and sinking carnivore pellets. They will eat constantly; food intake must be regulated to prevent obesity.
Compatibility: Highly cannibalistic and predatory. They will swallow any fish, smaller frogs, or tank mates that fit in their mouths. They should be housed alone or in groups of similar size.
Health and Common Diseases: Highly prone to bloat (dropsy) caused by poor water hygiene or kidney failure, which causes them to swell with fluid. Scratching with their sharp hind claws can cause scratches during maintenance.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to the Congo basin and South Africa. Due to escapes and releases, it has become a highly invasive species in Europe, North America, and other regions, inhabiting slow-moving rivers, swamps, and muddy ponds.
Origin
Cosmopolitan or introducedNorth AmericaAfrica and MadagascarEurope, Mediterranean, and West Asia
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 14.7 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Toxicity
- No verified data available
- Life stage
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 14.7 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 14.7 cm for this species, recorded as snout–vent length (SVL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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