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299 Featured Specimen
Surinam toad

Details

Surinam toad

Pipa pipa

Size
10–20 cm · 100–250 g
Diet
Carnivore
Activity
Nocturnal
Sociality
Solitary
Lifespan
4-15 years

The Surinam toad is a flat-bodied frog of Neotropical freshwater. It is a solitary nocturnal carnivore that hunts underwater.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
NeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropical

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

It lives in slow rivers, swamps, ponds, and other freshwater habitats. Leafy or muddy bottoms provide camouflage.

Appearance

Body length is about 10-20 cm and weight about 100-250 g. The extremely flat body and triangular head make it resemble a dead leaf on the bottom.

Behavior

It is nocturnal and solitary. Strongly aquatic, it waits on the bottom for prey or threats to come close.

Feeding

It is carnivorous, eating small fish, insect larvae, and crustaceans. It uses the forelimbs and suction-like movements to capture prey.

Reproduction

Eggs are held in pockets within the skin of the female's back. Developed young frogs later emerge from the back.

Notes

Its conservation status is LC. Carrying young in the back skin is one of the most striking reproductive habits among amphibians.