techniques

Techniques

A number of techniques has made working with Xenopus particularly ammenable for both ecological and experimental work:

1. Animals are easily caught with minimum disturbance to their environment using funnel traps. As Xenopus are aquatic they can be captured throughout the year in the same habitat, unlike other anurans.

2. Xenopus can be individually marked with a freeze-branding technique which has so far been proven effective for 4 years.

3. By means of a toe-clip, animals can be aged using skeletochronology. Toes quickly heal and regrow after 6 months.

4. Stomach contents can be obtained by stomach flushing

5. Breeding is easily induced by means of injection with gonadotrophins. Tadpoles can be simply maintained and feed by filtering food suspended in the water.

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