African Clawed Frog

Overview

A fully aquatic frog with clawed toes and a smooth slippery body, no tongue, filter-feeding in water.

History & Origin

The tongueless frog (pipid) is native to Africa. It belongs to the family Pipidae, a lineage of amphibians distributed across those regions and kept both in the wild and by specialist keepers.

Appearance & Size

African Clawed Frog is a medium (5–10 cm) frog.

Temperament

Active and alert, with readily observable behaviour; the right habitat keeps them engaged.

Care & Husbandry

Pipids (African clawed frogs, Surinam toads) are fully aquatic, tongueless and clawed; they need an aquarium with clean filtered water, no land, and feeding via scent. They are robust and long-lived but entirely aquatic—never a terrestrial setup.

Health & Lifespan

Entirely aquatic—water quality is everything; ammonia spikes cause rapid illness. Filter well and avoid overfeeding. In captivity a healthy individual may live around 10–20 years.

Popularity & Recognition

Pipids gave us the African clawed frog (once used in pregnancy tests) and the bizarre Surinam toad whose young develop in back-skin pockets.