The Surinam toad (Pipa pipa) is an aquatic amphibian native to South America, including the Amazon region and the island of Trinidad. It has a distinctive, flattened body, often resembling a mottled brown leaf, providing effective camouflage in murky water. Its head is triangular, with tiny, bead-like eyes and nostrils at the end of narrow tubes on its snout. Unique star-shaped appendages on its forelimbs assist in locating food.
The Surinam Toad’s Remarkable Reproduction
The Surinam toad’s unique reproductive process begins with the male producing a sharp clicking sound to attract a female. Once receptive, the male grasps her in an embrace called amplexus, holding onto her lower body. This embrace can last up to 36 hours, during which the pair somersault in the water. As they somersault, the female releases individual eggs, which the male then fertilizes.
The male then pushes these fertilized eggs onto the female’s back, where they adhere. Over the next few days, her dorsal skin thickens around each egg, forming distinct pockets, often described as resembling a honeycomb or inverted bubble wrap. The eggs, typically numbering 60 to 100, become fully embedded within these protective chambers. Inside these pockets, the offspring undergo their entire development, from egg to fully formed toadlet, uniquely bypassing the free-swimming tadpole stage common to most amphibians.
After an incubation period of 12 to 20 weeks (100-105 days), the developed toadlets are ready to emerge. They push and squirm to loosen the mother’s skin, causing the pockets on her back to open. The tiny toadlets then pop out and swim away to begin independent lives. This unique parental care provides significant protection for the young from predators and environmental fluctuations.
Do Surinam Toads Survive Reproduction
Contrary to a common misconception, female Surinam toads do not die after their offspring emerge. Once all toadlets have left the mother’s back, she undergoes a remarkable recovery process. The specialized, thickened skin layer that housed the developing eggs is shed. Her skin heals and regenerates after this strenuous period, allowing her to resume normal activities and prepare for future reproductive cycles. Incubating eggs directly on the female’s back is an adaptation ensuring higher offspring survival, not a life-ending event for the mother.
Life After the Reproductive Cycle
Following the emergence of her offspring and the shedding of her reproductive skin, the female Surinam toad returns to her solitary aquatic life. These toads can reproduce multiple times, demonstrating the non-fatal nature of their breeding strategy. In captivity, the average lifespan is around 7.7 years, with some individuals living up to 8-10 years.
Surinam toads are primarily ambush predators, spending much time stationary at the bottom of murky waters, camouflaged to resemble leaf litter. Their diet is omnivorous, consisting of crustaceans, small fish, worms, and other invertebrates. They use sensitive, star-shaped fingertips to detect prey movement in the water before lunging and using suction to capture their meal, as they lack a tongue and teeth.