Recently, Nevada State Wildlife officials seized more than a hundred African clawed frogs. The animals are prohibited by state law, and since the initial discovery they've received a number of tips helping them locate even more. Wildlife officials say this is the first generation of offspring from an original pair of African clawed frogs found in our area. That's good, because it means fewer frogs to round up and a smaller threat to native species.

State Game Warden Cameron Waithman says the frogs are voracious predators, and they carry a fungus only they are immune to. That fungus can kill local frog populations because it coats their skin making it difficult to breathe. His goal is to round up any clawed frogs in our area before they do permanent damage to Nevada's ecosystem.

These frogs can be identified by small black claws on their back feet, and a lack of webbing on their front feet. The colors range from a pale green to a mottled brown green like this. If you or someone you know has a clawed frog, Waithman says you can surrender it no questions asked.

Unfortunately rounding up illegal animals is nothing new to local game wardens. They've seized a range of animals locally including “eyelash vipers", snapping turtles, alligators, even piranhas. "The state has laws and we have them for a reason," says Waithman. "For example if you have a pet cobra and it gets loose and somebody else has a pet cobra and they breed we might end up with a wild population of cobras and we don't want that."

Not all exotic pets are illegal in Nevada. If you have a pet you're not sure about, you can find out if it is restricted by the state. It's listed under "Hot Topics" on our homepage.