It is time for another exciting week of Wild Facts. Today we are going over to Africa to learn about an interesting frog. The African Clawed Frog can be found throughout the African continent and is also known as the Platanna. Grab your chest waders and water wings because we are going swimming.
The African Clawed Frog can be about 12 cm (5″) in length and weigh about 220 g (8 oz). This particular frog gets its name from the three short claws on their hind feet. This frog eats small fish, water bugs and other insects. As well, the African Clawed Frog will actually eat their own skin after shedding it. How gross is this, eh? They use their specialized claws to assist with catching and tearing apart their food.
Most frogs can occasionally be found hanging out on land, however, the platanna spends all of its time in the water. As you would expect the African Clawed Frog is a very proficient swimmer. They are capable of swimming very quickly in all directions. Whether they are going forwards, backwards, sideways, up or down, these frogs are incredibly comfortable in the water.
Again, most frogs have some pretty cool croaking sounds but this particular frog doesn’t actually have a vocal sac. This doesn’t stop the persistent males from contracting their laryngeal muscles (basically, their throat muscles) to make long and short trills which they alternate during mating season. If the female is interested in the frog then they will respond back with a rapping sound. I highly doubt this “rapping” sound is anything like Eminiem or Snoop Dogg does but it is effective in the frog world. If the female wants nothing to do with the singing male then they will respond with a slow ticking sound. So I guess rap is the favourite music genre of the male African Clawed Frogs.
Well, I hope you all enjoyed today’s fact. Have a good one!
I had a couple of these as pets for years – a company called Grow-a-Frog sells them mail order. They were cute and it was funny, watching them eat – they would literally shove anything into their mouths! They’re not as high-maintenance pets as some frogs, but they do need a fairly large fish tank to swim in and frequent water changes.
Hi Janiss,
That is pretty cool that you actually had a pet African Clawed Frog. I knew they were used as pets but I had never known anyone that actually had a pet clawed frog. I have read that they are voracious eaters but it is nice to hear it first hand.
Thanks for sharing!
He doesn’t look like a very good swimmer in that picture, kinda looks like me trying to tread water.
hahaha… He treads water like you!
He is just coming up to the surface in this picture for a quick breath of fresh air. This is basically the only time they actually leave the water.
Thanks for dropping in and commenting!
Thanks for the information. I was just searching for information on the type of frog I had and saw this one which is exactly what I have. I wanted to put my frog in the tank with my other koi fish, but was a little skeptical. Are they capatible with koi?
Hi Wanda,
Thanks for stopping by Wild Facts and asking such a great question. I personally don’t recommend putting your pet African Clawed Frog (which make great pets by the way since they are very hardy) in with any fish. The African Clawed Frog is a voracious feeder and will most likely attempt to consume your fish. Even if the fish are larger than the frog there have been reports of the the Clawed Frog latching onto the fishes tail. My advice would be to get a separate home for the frog. Maybe nothing would happen in this particular case but I wouldn’t want to take the chance.
Thanks again for stopping by and please don’t hesitate to contact me via e-mail or by commenting if you have any additional questions.
I actually have one for a pet right now. I ordered a bunch of eggs through the mail for a 6th grade science project and still have the frog today, i’m 28 years old!! Its really easy to care for, just frequent water changes is all. I have a female because every so often you will see egg sacs in the tank, even though she lives alone. It is funny to watch her eat the pellets, kinda shovels them in her mouth with her front legs.
Hi Gabe,
That is incredible that you have had your pet frog for that long! Did you have any idea how long it would live when you bought them in grade 6?
That is interesting that the female will continue to deposit eggs even though she obviously hasn’t mated. She sounds like a cool pet and at this point a true member of your family.
Thanks for sharing your incredible story. I still can’t believe they actually can live that long. You must be a great pet owner.
I had one as a pet also. One thing I noticed was that he would sing along to music that I had playing if he liked it during spring and summer. He was a real sweetie.
In the case with my frog, he really grew attached to my sister and I. He wouldn’t take food from other people when we were away. He would eventually eat the food in the tank, but he wouldn’t be into eating from anyone else. He lived for about seventeen years, it was really hard when he finally passed away. These frogs have a really strong personality that is easy to get attached to.
Hi Vanessa,
These African Clawed Frogs sound like they make incredible pets. Definitely much better than a boring old fish or a Golden Retriever.
That is funny how the frog actually grew attached to you and your sister and wouldn’t eat while you were away. This doesn’t sound like typical frog behaviour, does it?
Thank you so much for sharing your story and educating me about their strong personality. I had no idea!
I have an albino african clawed frog. It is very big. I bought it almost full grown today was the first time I actually fed it by hand. I just bought it yesterday, and I used to own them when i was a kid. They are so unique with their personalities, and how they can differ so much. They are fun to watch and they always look like they are smiling. Whats not to love. Also they make a good beginner pet, because they are easy to care for, and are friendly.
I have a pigmented olive-colored African Clawed Frog named Kermit. He’s about 5 years old now, and he loves being held and pet. He also loves to be fed by hand, and if you catch him alone at night with a flashlight, he’ll start “singing” to you. You’re right about the cricket sounds- when I first heard him, I actually thought there was a cricket in my room! He also loves swimming in the bathtub or sink while I’m cleaning his tank, he appreciates the extra room (he’s in a 10 gallon fish tank with a heater set at 75 F and a filter and an airstone that he loves, but I might put him in a bigger tank with some live plants and a lady friend!). ACF really do make great pets, they have such a big heart and they are so easy to care for! 🙂
This awesome, Ali. It seems like Kermit is the perfect pet. Thank you for sharing your story and letting us all know how easy they are to care for.
I might as well ask you this: Where is todays animal?
Great question….unfortunately today’s Wild Fact was a little delayed due to a scheduling conflict. It is up now… Thanks for the reminder 🙂
Hello Nathan
I am writing to ask if you would be kind enough, please, to give me permission to use your ‘Snoop Froggy Frog’ photograph. I am writing a school newsletter article on frogs and toads, and this is a particularly stunning photograph.
Many thanks
Alison