Common Surinam toad
Scientific name: Pipa pipa (Linnaeus, 1758)
Overview
The common Surinam toad, the Suriname toad, or star-fingered toad, is a fully-aquatic species of frog, in the family Pipidae, with a widespread range across much of tropical South America and the island of Trinidad. The females of this species are well-known for "incubating" their eggs on their backs, in honeycomb-like depressions directly within the skin, releasing fully-formed froglets after a period of 4–5 months. Pipa pipa is an ambush predator, lying in-wait underwater for prey to inevitably wander too close, swiftly inhaling the unsuspecting creature using suction feeding. Additionally, the Surinam toad's rather flat body shape, combined with rather dark, dull coloration, serves as effective camouflage in the murky waters they inhabit, mimicking a dead leaf or piece of rotting wood as they await their next meal.
From the Wikipedia article “Common Surinam toad”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Common names
Also known in English as Suriname toad, Surinam Toad.
Names in other languages (8)
- Arabic
- علجوم سورينام
- Chinese
- 負子蟾
- German
- Große Wabenkröte
- Indonesian
- Kodok Suriname
- Japanese
- ピパピパ
- Persian
- وزغ سورینامی معمولی
- Russian
- Суринамская пипа
- Spanish
- Aparo, Rana Comun De Celdillas, Rana Tablacha, Sapo Chinelo, Sapo Chola, Sapo De Celdas
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q220414, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Common Surinam toad”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026