Müller's platanna facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Müller's platanna |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Xenopus
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| Species: |
muelleri
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| Synonyms | |
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Dactylethra muelleri Peters, 1844 |
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The Müller's platanna (Xenopus muelleri), also known as Müller's clawed frog, is a type of frog. These frogs belong to the family Pipidae. They are found in many countries across Africa.
You can find Müller's platannas in Angola, Benin, Botswana, and Burkina Faso. They also live in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, and the Republic of the Congo. Their home range extends to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, and Eswatini. Other countries include Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Namibia. You can also find them in Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
What is a Müller's Platanna?
Müller's platannas are unique frogs. They are fully aquatic, meaning they live their whole lives in water. Unlike many frogs, they do not spend much time on land. They have special claws on their back feet. These claws help them dig and tear apart food.
This frog looks a lot like its cousin, Xenopus laevis. However, you can tell them apart by a small detail. The Müller's platanna has a slightly longer tentacle under its eye. This tentacle is a small, fleshy growth.
Where Do They Live?
Müller's platannas live in many different watery places. Their natural habitats include various types of forests. They can be found in dry or moist lowland forests. They also live in savannas, which are grasslands with scattered trees.
These frogs like areas with shrublands, both dry and moist. They are also at home in different kinds of grassland. This includes dry lowland grasslands and those that flood seasonally. They can even be found in high-altitude grasslands.
Their favorite places are often near water sources. This includes rivers, even those that dry up sometimes. They live in swamps, freshwater lakes, and marshes. They also use freshwater springs.
Müller's platannas can adapt to human-changed areas too. They live in arable land (farms), pastureland, and rural gardens. You might find them in water storage areas, ponds, and even canals and ditches.
When Müller's platannas live in the same areas as X. laevis, they prefer warmer spots. They also tend to live at lower elevations.
