African Clawed Frogs

September 30, 2010

Question: I’ve heard that it is illegal to possess an African clawed frog (Xenops laevis) in California, since they are highly invasive. Is it permitted to capture wild specimens in order to kill them, at least? This of course would entail possessing them, however temporarily. Is there any way around this Catch-22? (Anonymous)

Answer: Technically, it is illegal to possess them at any time, including the time it would take to kill them. One thing to keep in mind is there is more than one type of African Clawed frog sub-species and they are very difficult to tell apart. The legal type are sold in pets stores on a routine basis and do not pose the threat the illegal species does.