Carvalho's Surinam toad

Pipa carvalhoi

Carvalho's Surinam toad is a unique frog that looks like a flat, brown pancake! It lives in water and has a special way of protecting its babies by carrying them on its back.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Carvalho's Surinam toad has a remarkably flat, leaf-like body, colored in mottled browns and greys for excellent camouflage. Its small, beady eyes are positioned on top of its triangular head. The skin is rough and textured, unlike many smooth-skinned frogs.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAmphibiaOrderAnuraFamilyPipidaeGenusPipa

Carvalho's Surinam toad

Interesting facts

Carvalho's Surinam toad can breathe through its skin while underwater!

Their unusual call sounds like tiny clicks coming from under the water!

These toads spend almost their whole lives underwater, rarely coming to land!

This toad has no tongue! It uses its front fingers to grab food.

Special abilities

Carvalho's Surinam toad has a special porous skin on its back that helps them carry and protect their developing eggs until they hatch.

Carvalho's Surinam toad has tiny, sensitive finger-like appendages that help them detect prey in murky water.

Carvalho's Surinam toad has a flat, mottled brown body that helps them blend perfectly with leaf litter and mud on the riverbed.

Measurements & details

Length: 4-6 cm
Weight: 0.005-0.015 kg
Lifespan: 3-5 years
Top Speed: 0.5 km/h
Clutch Size: 20-60
Metamorphosis: 12-28 days

Diet & Feeding

This toad is a stealthy hunter, ambushing small aquatic animals like insects and tiny fish.

Age differences: Younger toads will eat smaller prey items, but their overall diet remains similar.

Primary Foods

Aquatic insects
Insect larvae
Small fish
Crustaceans

Foraging Method

Ambush

Ecological connections

eaten by

Wolf Fish

Hoplias malabaricus

Large fish hunt toads in their aquatic home.

eaten by

Brownbanded Watersnake

Helicops angulatus

Aquatic snakes prey on toads hiding in the water.

eats

Red Midge

Chironomus plumosus

Toads ambush the larvae of these common midges.

Traits

Social

Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.

Camouflaged

Camouflaged describes organisms that possess coloring or patterns that allow them to blend into their environment.

Insectivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.