World’s Oddest Toads: Xenopus Pregnancy Tests and Animal Commodities in “Capitalist Ruins”

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the 1930s it was discovered that the Xenopus toad was a useful instrument in urine pregnancy tests. An injection of a woman’s urine into a toad that resulted in the production of ova was proof of pregnancy. Extracted from its native South Africa and imported to the United States, the Xenopus was a popular tool, used to this day for high school dissection and in professional labs. But once replaced by chemical pregnancy tests, labs no longer needed large Xenopus populations and began to release them or give them to pet dealers. Because of its long life, pet owners often tired of the toad and released it into the wild. Today the Xenopus is an invasive amphibian present on four continents feeding on endangered amphibians, creating resilient populations, and becoming a pest. With a warming climate, scientists predict that the carnivorous toad will continue to expand its habitat threatening other species. The medical and pet supply industries led to a large-scale extraction and trade in the Xenopus which has made the toad one of the most widespread amphibian species globally. The Xenopus’s resilience has allowed it to make a home within the destructive environment created by capitalism.