This is the Surinam toad.
In one of the strangest birth methods in the animal species, babies erupt from a cluster of tiny holes in their mother’s back.
The Surinam toad (Pipa pipa), also known as the Pipa toad or the “armor-plated”
toad, is a fascinating species native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins in South America, particularly in countries like Suriname, Venezuela, Brazil, and Colombia.
Key Features:
- Appearance: The Surinam toad has a unique, flattened, and rough body, which helps it blend in with its aquatic environment.
- Its skin texture is bumpy and irregular, resembling the appearance of a dead leaf or mud, which makes it hard to spot in its habitat.
- Size: It can grow to about 12–20 cm (4.7–7.9 inches) in length.
- Behavior: It’s primarily aquatic and spends much of its life in slow-moving rivers, streams, and swamps.
- It is a sit-and-wait predator, using its camouflage to ambush prey like small fish, insects, and other invertebrates.
Unique Reproductive Strategy:
The Surinam toad is famous for its unusual method of reproduction.
The female carries the fertilized eggs on her back in special pockets located on her skin.
The eggs develop into tadpoles in these pockets, and when they are ready to emerge, the young toads crawl out of their mother’s back, fully formed.
This process is known as direct development and is a rare and fascinating reproductive strategy in amphibians.
Watch the video below:
