Quote Originally Posted by tgampper View Post
Hi Frank, interesting topic. I really enjoyed all the comments made in the thread. So, do frogs have intelligence and therefore have the ability to learn? I think so I have been keeping African clawed frogs for many years and noticed they have an acute awareness when it comes to wave and sound stimuli.

According to Andreas Elepfandt, "Attempts to condition frogs generally fail. Xenopus, however shows good learning abilities. It is the only frog so far in which long-term memory and complex learning have been shown. This demonstrates that Xenopus can associate sensory inputs with variable meanings and learn complex relations in its environment." [Xenopus Sensory Perception, 1996]

I think the idea is worth pursuing.
Hi Terry,

Thanks for the kind words. Xenopus are a great example, and a favorite of mine as well. An X laevis in my collection reached age 19-20 (not a record for the species) and I now have an X. tropicalis aged 22+. They definitely make associations, and modify their behaviors to fit circumstances. I was always surprised at home they change when being brought indoors after "summering" in an outdoor pond. They come in as fast, aggressive hunters, snatching insects from land, wary of approaches to the tank, hide etc. After awhile, they swim to the glass when I approach, accept pellets from hand etc. Lots of great research done on them as you mention, so there's a good knowledge base on which to proceed.

Pl check out this article re unusual Xenopus observations when you can, and let me know what you think...Thanks, best, Frank