Color Injected Clawed Frogs

[geganewt]

I refuse to buy "Glo-fish" or any genetically modified pets.

what's wrong with genetically altered pets? it's not painful or cruel and it isn't a major change in genes, just one or two, it's just like changing your hair color to blue, there is no real harm in it and it doesn't cause the animal pain.

 

[caudatadude28]

In the previous picture on this thread. Could that little frog eat that whole what looks like a, nightcawler!?!

 

[oregon newt]

There's really not that much cruel about GloFish. I believe their eggs are injected with jellyfish dna. If that's what happened with these frogs, I don't see anyhting cruel about it, though I may not like it. Now if you want to get into fish that are injected as adults, dipped, or tatooed, then that's a different story...Good luck taking care of them Jaymes. Maybe we'll be able to learn more about what happened with these frogs.

 

[Scorpion]

Not sure what to think about this. I know that GloFish were given their color by being injected with the DNA of jellyfish, anemones, or some other brightly-colored animal. The only thing it did to them was change their color. It didn't harm them in any way. Although if you released them into the wild I'm sure it wouldn't be good for them as their bright colors would easily give them away to predators. In the case of GloFish, they were developed in the hopes of finding a way of detecting pollution by creating a fish that would fluoresce in the presence of pollution. In this case, the fish were created for a good purpose, and they weren't actually harmed in the process. The fact that they became a trade phenomenon was a side affect.

However, if these frogs were genetically altered, they were done so just so they would sell better, and that disturbs me. Same thing as if they were dyed.

Have you heard of chicks being dyed? I've heard of them being dyed for both research purposes and trade purposes. Poor things.
Colored Chick Photos - Lancaster County 4-H Embryology
YouTube - Techno Colored Chicks

 

[Dcerdeiras]

I always see the color injected fish at pet stores, but never see it in the clawed frogs. I can't imagine how they get the colors in them or how the animal survives afterwards. I always try to pursuade people from buying such animals whenever I can.
As for the "glofish", I don't think that it should be labeled animal cruelty, but I'm dead set against modifiying nature to our own will. When-ever mankind tries to control nature, disaster results.

 

[Scorpion]

I believe they're colored by being injected with dye as embryos. It's not harmful, but I strongly disapprove of it. The people who do this are treating the frogs like merchandise and not actual living creatures, and they're scamming they're buyers, because I'm sure the color will eventually wear off. They're also encouraging the buyers to treat the frogs like objects, too, and once the color wears off they'll likely get bored with the frogs and stop taking good care of them.

 

[bayhicoach]

A major problem with this conversation is that those participating in it are passing along information that they are not really sure about and then commenting on the morality of that misinformation. It would interest me to know whether these animals are genetically modified or dyed. From the pictures they seem to be the former (GM).

Genetically modified animals are fairly common nowadays and each has a place in science research. Genetically modified danios, axolotls and xenopus have been "created" for a specific research purpose. The colors usually serve as markers to allow researchers to concentrate on aspects of those animals that can be more easily followed with the enhanced colors. Researchers also use GM bacteria and other species.

Each of the GM species that finds its way into the pet trade is the offspring of GM parents. Once the gene has been inserted into the genome of a particular animal it will be passed on just like all of the other genes a species carries. There is no pain involved.

As to mankind changing animals to suit his own needs, every species of farm animal (or plant, for that matter) is significantly different than it's wild counterpart. All the different types of dogs are representative of that as well.

Many of the changes are the result of cross breeding over generations but more and more species are being genetically modified to speed up the process. Moral questions about this practice are valid questions that we need to resolve. It would be best for us to come to a conclusion before we create these new species rather than after. I'm sure you've heard the story of Pandora's Box. It's going to be very difficult (impossible?) to get these things back into the box once they're out.

 

[Scorpion]

You're right. I have little knowledge on the subject, so I can't actually form an opinion. Jaymes; is there any way you could give me the phone number of the pet store you bought those frogs at? This thread's got me curious on the subject, and what better way to find out about it then to go right to the source? I mean that I'm going to ask the pet store if they could give me the phone number of the breeder if that's possible. Worth a try, right?

 

[Shizeric]

Kind of along the same lines:

Tattooed fish

 

[Mac Myers]

A major problem with this conversation is that those participating in it are passing along information that they are not really sure about and then commenting on the morality of that misinformation. It would interest me to know whether these animals are genetically modified or dyed. From the pictures they seem to be the former (GM).

For what it's worth (maybe not much).......:happy:
According to two fairly reputable fellows I know in the pet trade (I know....they've actually just been around a LONG time but they haven't given me any bad info yet) that have/had some of these animals they are dyed. They also say that the color fades in 10-12 months.
I dunno. They look dyed to me. YMMV.

 

[Neotenic_Jaymes]

Those little chickens are dyed and its harmless. The dye has a natural origin and I believe the scientist that accomplished dyed chickens is from Mexico or South America. As for the African Clawed Frogs, their original distribution is through labs. African Clawed Frogs have been study subjects for a long time now. Injected with colored protein is better then being injected with urine. Being a flashy looking pet is better than being a pregnancy test.

Almost every pet store in the Detroit Metro Area has had a couple of the color altered frogs. I've asked store owners about the frogs and they really have no details for me. Anytime you walk into a pet store and ask a lot of questions about a certain animal and how its being kept or how it arrived, the store owner/worker thinks your an animal activist. So I tend to not ask questions if it seems like people don't know much.

I understand why someone would like or dislike a neon green African Clawed Frog. Please understand everything else around us is being altered as well. Seedless vegetables, fixed dogs/cats, manipulated poultry/red meat, and a million other things. For me its a support or don't support thing. If you support it buy it, if you don't support it don't purchase it. You can't blame people for liking certain things. Don't aim at the people who like altered things aim at the source.

 

[Scorpion]

As long as the frogs aren't mistreated and end up with good homes, then I'm not against it. I had just assumed they were harmed in some kind of way, but that was a stupid thing to do without any knowledge on the subject. I usually don't do that. Don't know why I did it this time.

 

[Neotenic_Jaymes]

Awareness and concern is a great thing. Its how you apply it, thats the real statement. Its good to know how everyone feels about this topic. Again, its how you apply your thoughts and feelings thats the real statement.

I thank everyone who has participated in the thread.

 

[bayhicoach]

When you talk about "injecting" the embryos with the DNA of jellyfish and anemones you're over-simplifying a complex process. The snippet of DNA that causes one of these organisms to express these vivid colors is parsed out of the DNA and inserted into the DNA of the subject animal (zebrafish, clawed frogs, axolotls). The position of this implanted DNA in the genome determines what effect will be expressed. In one case of clawed frogs, the genetic modification is intended to allow scientists to study the frogs retinas. I'm sure they're using these animals for other purposes as well.

While researching this subject, I learned, also, that scientists using this method have begun to use Xenopus tropicalis instead of Xenopus laevis because the former is diploid (has two sets of chromosomes - one from mom and one from dad) and the latter is tetraploid (has four sets of chromosomes - two each from mom and dad) This feature of most Xenopus species makes them difficult to study from a genetic standpoint. Xenopus tropicalis are about a third the size of X. laevis, by the way.

As to whether these particular frogs are dyed or genetically modified I have seen two pictures which show significant differences between the two. The ones photographed in the original message seem to be GM.

While I am intrigued by genetically modified species because of their value to me in my genetics classes, I am adamantly opposed to the tattooing and dying of species for the pet trade.

 

[Mac Myers]

Thanks Dick. That makes a lot of sense. While I did get GFP Axolotls ( as I understood the process) I tend to shy away from uh.... well.... let's call them "Designer" animals after I bought a "Blueberry" Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus). Turns out it was dyed, failed to thrive, and it DIED after about 3 years as an Albino with all of the blue coloring gone. I was pretty hacked off but the place was out of business..... I learned a very important lesson about buying animals without research.

 

[ndbug]

My daughter has a blueish green one, I wasn't sure why it was such a wierd color until i looked them up. The person I got this from also had pink and other colors also.

 

[Mariss]

I had a green one and over time the color left and he was a pinkish-white. So albino, I'd say?