anyone have general information pertaining to ADFs with bonus/additonal limbs?

[kpewv]

my girlfriend and i recently purchased an ADF from a lfs, and he (or she, too young to sex) appears to have 1-1.5 extra legs in the front. i tried searching some stuff up online but ultimately found nothing, as the topic is rather niche. he seems to be swimming around and eating just fine, but i was wondering if there could be other hidden health impacts. was also wondering just how rare/unheard of this is. please reach out with any info!! ive attached a picture of the adf: thom yorke!

 

[Lcc86]

Not heard of it myself although he looks okay otherwise! Is he able to get around normally?

 

[kpewv]

Not heard of it myself although he looks okay otherwise! Is he able to get around normally?

yes he gets around just fine!!! he appears perfectly healthy and is able to swim around comfortably and with ease! its really incredible to be honest, but im worried about complications (ie the genetic implications and what would've caused it) because i briefly read that in most frogs (not adfs but more common ones that people study) extra limbs are caused by disease/parasites when they are tadpoles? im just really intrigued by this little guy and wanted to see if anyone had information on this.

 

[Colin_T]

It's a genetic defect that hasn't prevented the frog from growing and living. It might not have lived as long in the wild or it might have. It's nothing to worry about and very rare so photograph and video it regularly. Try to get video of it using all front legs at the same time and separately if you can (assuming they work).

The other option is a conjoined twin and 2 of the arms are the twin's back legs, but I'm more inclined to think it's just a freak genetic mutation.

I would love to have 4 arms and 2 legs that could move independently. You could carry a couple of bags of shopping and open the car without having to put the shopping down. You could hold your kid's hand with one arm, hold the dog lead with another, and carry the doggy doo bag with a third. The insectoids have it

 

[kpewv]

thank you so much for the info!!!!!

 

[Magnum Man]

I thought frogs were well known as the “canary” to environmental pollution… assuming these are also “farmed”

In Minnesota ( USA ), land of 10,000 lakes, they are doing studies, as that happens a lot in possibly polluted aquatic environments

 

[WhistlingBadger]

This is why you shouldn't buy from a breeder located downstream from the nuclear reactor.

Seriously, that's really interesting. I guess if the critter is doing alright, that's good enough. You have an animal with character. You should have a lot of fun naming him. I suggest Doc Oc.