Home › Amphibia › Pipidae › Surinam Toad (Pipa pipa)
SPECIES PROFILE
Surinam Toad (Pipa pipa)
Pipa
IUCN STATUS
Least Concern
CONSERVATION STATUS
Least Concern
CLASS
Amphibia
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
Amazon and Guiana lowlands
DIET
Carnivorous
HABITAT
Slow rivers, ponds and flooded forest
🔬 Classification
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Amphibia
ORDER
Anura
FAMILY
Pipidae
GENUS
Pipa
📋 Description
SIZE
Up to 20 cm long
COLORATION
Flat, mud-brown and leaf-shaped
ADAPTATIONS
Star-shaped fingertips feel for prey; young develop in pockets on the mother's back
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Slow rivers, ponds and flooded forest
DIET
Carnivorous
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
Amazon and Guiana lowlands
REPRODUCTION
Eggs embed in the female's back and emerge as toadlets
DIET DETAILS
Small fish and invertebrates
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Pollution, habitat loss
💡 Interesting Facts
1
One of the strangest amphibians alive, its young hatch from pockets in the mother's back.
2
Almost completely flat, it looks like a mottled dead leaf on the riverbed.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Central Suriname Nature Reserve
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
Year-round
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
Best seen with guides in slow blackwater creeks and ponds; the flat, leaf-like toad is easy to overlook.
