Fun Hymenochirus Boettgeri Facts For Kids

One of the most commonly found species of frog in Equatorial Africa is the Hymenochirus boettgeri. Known by its common name, the Zaire dwarf clawed frog, this species is found in freshwater habitats.

Another common name of this aquatic amphibian is the Congo dwarf clawed frog. The specific name of this species, ‘boettgeri’, was titled in honor of the German zoologist, Oskar Boettger.

These frogs have almost flat bodies and long legs. Their feet have claws on them, giving them the title of the dwarf 'clawed' frog. They are also a common pick for pets to be kept in an aquarium.

Their food requirements are very minimal, which includes small fish and insects. The males of this species have smaller bodies than their females. Thankfully, the conservation status of these members of the Pipidae family says that there's no need to be worried about any threats!

Is your mind dazzled with these splendid facts on the Congo dwarf clawed frog? You can read about some other interesting animals on our pages, like the Chinese giant salamander and Yellow-spotted salamander!

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Hymenochirus Boettgeri Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Hymenochirus boettgeri?

The Congo dwarf clawed frog is a type of frog.

What class of animal does a Hymenochirus boettgeri belong to?

The Zaire dwarf-clawed frog belongs to the class of amphibians.

How many Hymenochirus boettgeris are there in the world?

We are not aware of the total population of the Hymenochirus boettgeri (Zaire dwarf clawed frog).

Where does a Hymenochirus boettgeri live?

The Congo dwarf clawed frog (Hymenochirus boettgeri) is found in regions of Equatorial Africa, extending from Cameroon and Nigeria, running south through Gabon. Their distribution also extends eastwards through the river basin of Congo.

What is a Hymenochirus boettgeri's habitat?

This aquatic frog species is a dweller of freshwater bodies. However, their choice of habitat can be seasonal. On rainy days, they lurk around in shallow ponds and slow-flowing rivers. However, in the dry season, they move to properly flooded canopies.

Who do Hymenochirus boettgeris live with?

We are not aware if these African dwarf frogs live alone or in groups. Generally, frogs prefer a solitary lifestyle.

How long does a Hymenochirus boettgeri live?

Members of the Hymenochirus species have been reported to have a lifespan of 8-15 years, with most of the members surviving for 10 years.

How do they reproduce?

Breeding activities of this species are at their peak during the rainy days. You can easily identify when the females are ready to breed- they would look much rounder than their usual selves.

The male frogs also begin singing/croaking.

When a female dwarf frog is ready for breeding her eggs, her mate would perform a spawn dance with her - in this ritual, he would hold on close to her for quite a while.

If the female is attracted and interested, she would swim around in circular motions, releasing her eggs near the water surface, which would be fertilized by the sperm released by the male frog.

After releasing the eggs, the female frog would relax, stay motionless and float for a while. About 750 eggs are released at a time, and these are scattered across the water body up to the surface.

After about two to six days, these eggs hatch open and little tadpoles swim out.

After 1.5  months, these tadpoles undergo metamorphosis are grow into little frogs. Once they are large enough, they begin feeding on brine shrimp.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the Zaire dwarf clawed frog is Least Concern.

Hymenochirus Boettgeri Fun Facts

What do Hymenochirus boettgeris look like?

The Hymenochirus boettgeri (Zaire dwarf clawed frog) has a small body and is of grey-brown color. This body is speckled with multiple spots of darker color. They have four webbed feet, helping them swim in water or leap on land.

Their head is tapering. They have a pointed snout. The eyes of this frog are positioned on either side of its head.

They do not have eyelids or tongues. The most distinct feature is their legs, which are very long and make up for most of the body size. Their hind feet are ‘clawed’ as well.

The male frogs are considerably smaller in size. Once the males are mature, a small gland, called the post-axillary subdermal gland, develops behind the forelimbs. This gland looks much similar to a small pimple. Male frogs also have a small to none ‘tail’ bud.

If you view the frog from above, you can see a V-shaped ridge on its body. Coming to the females, the tailbud is small but visible. They have a rounder anatomy than the males, and when matured, they get a pear-shaped body.

How cute are they?

We do not find the Congo dwarf clawed frog (Hymenochirus boettgeri) cute!

How do they communicate?

Not much is known about the communication of the Hymenochirus boettgeri (Zaire dwarf clawed frog). But the male African dwarf frogs of this species are known to 'sing' or 'hum' more than the female ones. This singing increases more during the breeding season.

How big is a Hymenochirus boettgeri?

The Hymenochirus boettgeri size can go up to a size of 3 in (7.62 cm). Their body size is almost equal to 15 times the body size of Flatworms.

How fast can a Hymenochirus boettgeri move?

We are not aware of the speed of these African dwarf frogs of the Hymenochirus genus.

How much does a Hymenochirus boettgeri weigh?

We do not have much information on the weight of these African clawed frogs. However, with such a small body size, they do not weigh more than a couple of ounces/grams.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no separate names designated for the males and females of the frog species.

What would you call a baby Hymenochirus boettgeri?

In general, baby frogs are called froglets.

What do they eat?

This African dwarf frog is a pure carnivore. It gobbles down small insects and fish fry for food. Mosquito larvae are also a common food for this frog. This aquatic species lacks teeth and tongue, hence they cannot eat big prey.

Thinking about keeping them in the aquarium, but confused about what to give them as food? You can provide them with small pieces of raw fish.

The choice of fish can vary between salmon, tuna, or even tilapia. But make sure tuna steak is fed rarely, at the frequency of one time a week.

Other optional food items which can be fed are brine shrimp, white worms, tetras, earthworms, bloodworm (once or twice every week), and cooked pieces of prawns or mussels. Catfish pellets are also a good food option.

Are they poisonous?

No, this aquatic species is not poisonous at all.

Would they make a good pet?

Yes, the African dwarf frog is an absolutely amazing pet! You can keep them in your aquarium or fish tank, but the Hymenochirus boettgeri care has certain specifications. In fact, you can see the Hymenochirus boettgeri for sale as one of the most common species as aquarium keepers.

Did you know...

This species was actually classified as ‘Xenopus boettgeri’, a member of the Xenopus genus.

Some good tank mates for this fish are Amano Shrimp and Betta splendens (Siamese fighting fish). However, Betta splendens is known to bite down the feet of the dwarf frog or compete for food with the frog. Even crayfish is one incompatible tank mate.

The minimum tank size for an adult frog is 5 US gallons (19 l) capacity.

Ensure you do not keep gravel in the tank - if the frog feeds on it, it might get stuck in its digestive systems, thus causing harm to the frog.

Different types of boettgeri

There are about 13 other types of Boettgeri species!

The eastern Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni boettgeri) is a tortoise belonging to the Testudo genus and is found in the south of Europe, mainly in Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Romania, and even North Macedonia.

Atractus boettgeri is also known as Boettger's ground snake. This snake is found mainly in Central and South America.

Madagascar is the home to Calumma boettgeri, a species of chameleon whose conservation status is ‘Least Concern’.

Cacosternum boettgeri, or Boettger's dainty frog, is a frog species found mainly in Africa. They are also known as ‘common caco’.

Boettger's two-headed snake (Micrelaps boettgeri) is a venomous snake native to Africa. This is a rear-fanged snake species.

Emoia boettgeri is an endangered species of lizard, found mainly in Micronesia. It is also known as the Micronesia forest skink or Boettger's emo skink.

Scincella boettgeri, or Boettger's ground skink, is a skink species found mainly in Japan.

Boettger's whorltail iguana is found mainly in South America. The scientific name of this species is Stenocercus boettgeri.

Tarentola boettgeri is a lizard species endemic to the Savage Islands and the Canary Islands. Boettger's wall gecko/Gran Canaria gecko has three subspecies under it.

Madagascar also is the land of the skink, Boettger's mabuya (Trachylepis boettgeri).

Megophrys boettgeri is known by many names - Boettger's horned toad, Boettger's spadefoot toad, or even the pale-shouldered horned toad. It is found in parts of China and India.

Another point to Madagascar for being the native land of the lizard species, Zonosaurus boettgeri.This species has been tagged as ‘Vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List.

Do Hymenochirus boettgeris bite?

No, these frogs are not very aggressive. They do not bite, in fact, these frogs lack teeth! They are absolutely peaceful and do not attack others of their species.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other amphibians from our olm facts and bullfrog facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Hymenochirus boettgeri coloring pages.