Surinam Toad
/ˌsʊərɪˈnæm ˈtoʊd/noun
A flattened South American aquatic frog, Pipa pipa, whose young develop in pockets embedded in the female’s back.
Did you know?Female Surinam toads carry their fertilized eggs in honeycomb-like pockets in their backs, where the young hatch and emerge as miniature toads rather than tadpoles.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*taidō
“A toad; the reconstructed ancestor of the English amphibian name.”
Old English
Old English
tādie
“Toad, a squat amphibian associated with damp ground and water.”
16th Century
Dutch
Suriname
“The name of the South American river and region; its deeper origin is uncertain and may derive from an Indigenous language.”
17th Century
Dutch/European zoology
Surinaamse pad
“Surinam toad; a regional name formed from Suriname plus the Dutch word pad, “toad.””
Modern English
English
Surinam toad
“The established English common name for Pipa pipa, also called the common Suriname toad.”