African clawed frog

The African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) is mainly used in the laboratory to study embryogenesis.

Classification of the African clawed frog

The frog is an eukaryote, an amphibian in the Anura order and a member of the Pipidae family.

Characteristics of the African clawed frog

The African clawed frog is an aquatic animal about a dozen centimetres long, with smooth, grey-green skin. It has long back legs that it uses to swim in its preferred environment or to leap when on dry land. Females are slightly larger than males.

The frog has a tetraploid genome (with four sets of chromosomes). It does not multiply quickly, as it takes two years to reach sexual maturity, but has the advantage of laying many eggs, producing many large embryos that are easily to handle by scientists.

Use of the African clawed frog in laboratories

The African clawed frog is used to study embryogenesis as well as DNA and its repair. Its embryos can also be used to produce large quantities of proteins for study.