Stats

Lifespan

10-15 yrs

Size

Small

Diet

Insectivore

Activity

Nocturnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Freshwater wetland

Range

Sub-Saharan Africa

Movement

Swimming

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Rare

About

Western Dwarf Clawed Frogs, or Hymenochirus curtipes, are small frogs found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjacent Republic of the Congo. They are among the smallest frogs in the world, with a body length of 1.2 cm.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A jelly-coated egg is laid in water and develops over days into an aquatic larva.
2. 2.
   tadpole

   A gilled tadpole swims and grazes on algae, slowly absorbing its tail and growing limbs.
3. 3.
   juvenile

   A near-adult amphibian leaves the water with new legs and lungs, smaller than the mature form.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown at adult size, breathing air.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Amphibia

Order

Anura

Family

Pipidae

Genus

Hymenochirus

Species

Hymenochirus curtipes