T he Suriname Toad (Pipa pipa) could be one of the strangest frogs you might see in the rainforest; in fact it’s not a toad but an aquatic dwelling frog. Its body is freakishly flattened with a small triangular head and it has flaps of skin or short tentacles on the upper lip near the eyes. Its forefeet have four fingers which end with star-like appendages used to feel around for food and the hind legs are broadly webbed without claws. It has a large mouth with no teeth or tongue and its eyes are very small but give vision in all directions. The skin is a grey/green mottle or sometimes blackish brown which blends the frog well into its environs. These frogs can be found in pools with high detritus content near lakes and small creeks, in swampy areas that exist mainly in second growth and mixed forest.
The Suriname Toad rarely leaves the water and is mainly nocturnal (active during the night). Its usual diet consists of water bugs, small fish and fine worms. Unlike other animals that call to indicate location, Pipa pipa are usually silent, resting very still on the bottom of the watery home. Instead,