Common Surinam toad: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the common Surinam toad lives – recorded in 5 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Pipa pipa
Group	Frogs & toads
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	5 countries
Continents	South America
Class	Amphibian
Order	Anura
Family	Pipidae

Where does the common Surinam toad live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the common Surinam toad in 5 countries and territories across South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Benevides, Venezuela.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the common Surinam toad endangered?

The common Surinam toad’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the common Surinam toad?

The common Surinam toad (Pipa pipa) is an amphibian in the order Anura and the family Pipidae, genus Pipa. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the common Surinam toad

The common Surinam toad, the Suriname toad, or star-fingered toad (Pipa pipa), 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.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Common Surinam toad (revision 1377309196), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q220414 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).