Unleashing a Trypophobia Trigger with the Surinam Toad’s Reproductive Mastery

Cayla de Souza Learn more

The Surinam toad's reproductive process, where young emerge from holes in the mother's back, can induce discomfort for those with trypophobia.

[{"selector":"#anim-64dbf167-eeca-4501-b872-14e1e3766014","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b0a20872-9289-4f9b-9b35-fc91c59ed034","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-115.09434%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Learn more

Native to the Amazon rainforest, this toad is specially adapted for a life submerged in slow-flowing watercourses and ponds

[{"selector":"#anim-d5a3ebb2-6f84-46b5-8fef-e39c16b43418","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-65ffd2ba-60da-4f34-9aa7-0fb0185ec369","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-114.90684%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Learn more

Female Surinam toads carry their offspring in honeycombed pockets embedded in their backs, a rare reproductive strategy.

[{"selector":"#anim-29a5bf40-e885-47d9-93a9-85c289187ee1","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e6ee8c24-13ab-4e43-8f42-7ea7394b0edb","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-115.09434%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Learn more

The young bypass the vulnerable tadpole stage, developing safely within the pockets until they emerge as fully formed toads.

[{"selector":"#anim-849af8d6-1a8e-4f7a-9ae5-f2e207331802","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3ff2748d-a9cd-4b03-960b-ea79b026fc57","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-116.82848%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Learn more

Despite its unsettling reproductive process, the Surinam toad is an efficient predator, employing a unique suction feeding mechanism.

[{"selector":"#anim-a2216fd6-ffe6-4858-8656-2ac095351d66","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ad5ed7f0-5e6b-429a-be7a-74cf9dcc613b","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-115.97444%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Learn more

The toad faces habitat loss and fragmentation due to agricultural expansion and human encroachment into the Amazon.

[{"selector":"#anim-d597c014-f78a-4150-b61c-77248906874a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a74114cf-adb0-44b9-bb48-0e3690025384","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-115.09434%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Learn more

The toad's mottled brown skin and flat body provide excellent camouflage, aiding in both predation and evasion from predators.

[{"selector":"#anim-b8a3214c-a8b8-4e02-be9c-9c045e8f59ad","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-333b529f-d45e-43d4-ac3f-5e45ce0e0fff","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-115.09434%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Learn more

Beyond the trypophobia-triggering aspects, the toad exemplifies nature’s adaptability and the diversity of life in the Amazon.

[{"selector":"#anim-dff951af-a941-41f2-a1ca-198e8933d0e3","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-814bd6b6-fb89-4938-86b8-5b92d567be03","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-114.77988%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Learn more