Absorbance spectra of visual pigments in the Xenopus retina were obtained by microspectrophotometry. Principal rods contained a pigment with peak absorbance of 524 ± 2nm. A minority of rods contained a pigment with λ max at 445 ± 6nm; single cone spectra peaked at 611 ± 4nm. Xenopus tadpoles were maintained on a Vitamin A-free diet for 6–8 weeks, then injected systemically with all-trans retinol or 9-cis retinal. In the principal rod, these resulted in pigments peaking at 511 ± 3nm and 498 ± 2nm, respectively. The normally encountered Vitamin A 2-based pigment of the principal rod had a broader half-width than its Vitamin A 1-based analog. In single cones, all-trans retinol led to the formation of a pigment with λ max 578 ± 7nm. The substantial shifts seen in the wavelengths of peak absorbance as well as in the shapes of the spectral curves following administration of retinol or 9-cis retinal indicate that at least most of the normally encountered Vitamin A 2-based pigment was replaced by a Vitamin A 1-based pigment.