Surinamese pipa toad. Lifestyle and habitat of the Surinamese pipa
PIPA FROGS - photo, reproduction, content
Date: 2017-03-31
PEEPS IN AQUARIUMS
Pipa frogs appeared in our aquariums relatively recently. The Surinamese pipa is well known; it is written about in all textbooks and books telling about the amazing ingenuity of nature. However, the Surinamese pipa cannot be classified as aquatic frogs: Having completed the reproduction cycle, it leaves the water, and keeping it in aquariums and terrariums is associated with great difficulties. In 1979 the famous herpetologist from the GDR Jurgen Obet brought to Leningrad the new kind one pips- Pipa Corvalho was described by M. Ribeiro in 1937).
Photo of pipa frog
These frogs live in Brazilian standing waters both in the lowlands and at an altitude of up to 1000m among thickets of plants and snags, preferring a soft muddy bottom (when frightened, they bury themselves in the mud).
Their body is whiter, flattened than that of, the head, when viewed from above, has a triangular structure. At the ends of the fingers of the forelimbs there are star-shaped formations characteristic of pips. Young peeps are lighter in color, the belly is almost white, the head is dark underneath.
Peeps when young, they are similar in appearance to Hymonochirus of the same size. They can be distinguished by the following characteristics.
Pipas are more swift, quickly rise to the surface of the water and rush down even faster and hide at the bottom, while hymenochiruses swim more slowly, move calmly in the water column and, only when frightened, quickly go down and hide. And another difference. Hymenochirus usually swims with the toes of the forelimbs bent; pipas swim with the toes pointing forward; unlike Hymenochirus, they do not have membranes between the toes of the forelimbs. With these limbs they grab pieces of food or live food and stuff them into their mouths.
At optimal conditions Peeps spend all their time in the water and do not strive to leave the aquatic environment. If conditions worsen (water spoils or overheats, food supply stops), frogs of any age quickly leave the water. They freely climb the glass, sticking to it with their bellies, and find the smallest cracks.
Photo of pipa frog
Naturally, in the dry air of rooms they quickly jump only until the skin dries, and then death occurs. Frogs are indifferent to the depth of water in the aquarium; it can be 10 cm or 1 m. They do not harm plants. With small and big fish they get along normally and only in the rarest cases can a large pipa grab a gaping fish. From cichlids and ancistrus large sizes frogs receive noticeable blows.
What do peeps eat?
By the nature of their diet they are close to clawed frogs: juveniles take only live food (enchytraea, tubifex, bloodworms), adults (from the third month of life) willingly eat pieces of meat and fish.
Hymenochirus is known to prefer live food throughout its life. Peeps readily collect dry food (daphnia, gammarus) from the surface of the water; they also consume concentrated flakes - for example, tetramin.
They eat a lot and greedily, getting fat right before our eyes. Increased feeding serves as one of the stimulants of reproduction.
Reproduction of Carvalho's pipa
Reproduction and development of P. carvalhoi normally occurs in water with a hardness of 5° at a temperature of 20−30°C. Harder water is undesirable. P. carvalhoi presents big interest for lovers primarily because of the amazing method of reproduction, Males fewer females, when viewed from the side, more flattened, sometimes their color is darker. The capture of a female by a male occurs in the same way as in all tailless amphibians.
First there is a series of short test captures. If the female is not ready, the male quickly releases her. Ready female at the moment of capture she becomes numb, a slight trembling runs through her body; Having received this signal, the male firmly closes his forelimbs. In this position, frogs can swim for 24 hours. Typically, capture occurs at night, and the act of mating itself occurs at dawn.
The copulating pair swims in open space and suddenly turns over with their belly up 5–10 cm from the surface. The male is on the bottom, his abdomen lags behind the female’s back. At this moment, 6-12 eggs emerge from the female’s cloaca; under the influence of gravity, they slide down and slightly forward (the heads of the frogs at this moment are lower than the rear parts of the body) and fall into the gap between the female’s back and the male’s abdomen.
At the same time, the eggs are fertilized. Then the pipa frogs turn over to their normal position and the male, with his abdomen, presses the sticky eggs into the back of the female. Acts of egg laying follow one after another with an interval of 5−15 minutes. In total, frogs turn over 40-50 times. During this time they lay (in our conditions) from 50 to 170 eggs.
Naturally, subsequent clutches cause more trouble for the male than the first: with his abdomen he forms the eggs so that they lie on the female’s back in one row, although new clutches in a fertile couple slide over the eggs pressed to the back. With his hind legs, moving them far forward, the male collects eggs from the sides of the female’s body and from her head and forms them in one layer on a strictly defined area of her back.
Photo of pipa frog
Individual eggs fall to the bottom and stick to plants, but they no longer develop. If the eggs are removed from the female’s back and placed in a separate vessel, then even under optimal conditions () their incubation does not occur. Apparently, the pressing of eggs by the male into the back of the female is one of important points successful reproduction, At the end of egg laying, the male leaves the female. Now you can clearly see all the masonry on her back. The eggs are large (up to 1.4 mm in diameter), color Ivory(the degree of yellowness varies) lie in a dense compact layer.
They are pressed into the female's back by about one quarter. In this form, the female swims and begins to feed. Since they are sticky, debris, pieces of plants, etc. stick to the eggs. Three hours after laying, a gray spongy mass of the same color begins to rise from below the back of the frog, covered with rows of uneven tubercles. Over the course of a day, this mass swells so much that the eggs are almost completely immersed in it, only their light tops are visible - something like an old cobblestone street, long clogged with dirt.
And what’s surprising is that all the debris stuck to the eggs, crumbs, as well as unfertilized and defective eggs are pushed away. Embryos mature at room temperature in 15 days, at 26−28°C - in 10−12.
Egg maturation occurs unevenly. 3-4 days before the tadpoles emerge, a small hole is formed above each egg through which water enters for the intensively breathing embryo. The female's back becomes like a strainer. A day or two before the tadpole emerges, the egg shell swells and a mound with a hole at the top forms above it.
Pipa tadpoles
The strong tadpoles fly out of the eggs like rockets and rush to the surface to grab a bubble of air. The weak ones emerge from the egg shell slowly, head or tail first, so that the female’s back is literally covered with heads and tails. These tadpoles fall to the bottom and reach the surface in two or three attempts. Having captured an air bubble, they begin to swim horizontally. Their almost spherical body has a diameter of 2.5−3 mm, a transparent tail - 7−9 mm. Tadpoles group in a school, quickly flee from predators, and can burrow into the mud.
They begin to feed on the second day. Tadpoles are filter feeders. Food suitable for clawed frog tadpoles is not suitable for pipa offspring; the difficulty is that they need a thick mass of bacteria and ciliates while maintaining the freshness of the water. Aeration, especially strong aeration, is harmful to tadpoles.
You cannot leave them in a pond with adult frogs - they die from the latter’s secretions. Thus, the most difficult thing in the biotechnology of breeding pips is to create suitable conditions and feed the tadpoles. The development of tadpoles and metamorphosis lasts 6-8 weeks.
Before turning into a frog, tadpoles reach a length of 35-40 mm. First, the hind limbs appear, then the forelimbs, the tail decreases, and the tadpole lives off the protein accumulated in it and does not feed at this time. At this stage, it is slow and seems to float in the water column. At this moment it is necessary to catch it and transplant it into a pond for the frogs; later this is more difficult to do. The disappearance of the tail coincides with the formation of the frog's mouth, and it switches to active feeding.
By this time, the filtering apparatus is reduced, gill respiration is replaced by pulmonary and cutaneous respiration. Further fate baby frogs depend on the abundance of live food (tubifex, enchytrea, bloodworms) and their timely sorting by size. After the tadpoles emerge, the female frog rubs against the stones, cleans off the remains of the egg shells from her back, and then moults. From this moment on, she is ready to mate again.
M. MAKHLIN, I. MIZGIREV
Fish farming and fishing 1984 No. 2
Surinamese pipa. Unusual species of toad
Surinamese pipa is very unusual look toads with a flat body and head. Like their distinctive webbed feet, they have unique mating and breeding behavior. Suriname toads belong to the family Pipaceae, the tongueless toad or frog, which also includes clawed frogs and dwarf clawed frogs.
Pipovye frogs and toads live almost entirely in aquatic environment. To achieve this, they have flattened organs and relatively large membranes on their paws compared to the rest of their body.
Many reptiles developed along a completely unique evolutionary path in a relatively small geographical area.
Although the tuatara are one of the most obvious examples, Suriname toads, common in tropical forests South America, have developed unique breeding behavior to protect their offspring. Their marriage ritual developed to support reproduction.
There are a few different types Suriname toads. The Common Pipa species is better known as the common Suriname toad.
Unlike other tongueless toads, Suriname toads have sensitive areas on the tips of their front legs. They don't have claws and they basically lead night look life.
Mating ritual and reproduction of the Suriname toad
The mating ritual is an impressive behavior that is unique to Suriname toads. Due to the fact that the common pipa does not have vocal cords, males, while underwater, attract females with clicks, using the hyoid bone, which usually helps to keep their tongue from other animals. Receptive toad- the female will be grabbed from behind by the male by the forelimbs. Female Suriname toad pushes off with its paws, and the couple slowly swims through the water, tumbling gracefully. At this time, the female will lay several eggs, and the male’s sperm will fertilize them, after which the male will collect the eggs with webbed feet and lay them on the female’s back. Tumbling or making long arcs, the female will perform these movements until more than 100 eggs around her stick to her back. The skin of the female's back absorbs them until, after about 30 hours, they completely disappear from sight, thereby protecting the fertilized eggs from predators. The common and Brazilian pipa, both a variety of the Suriname toad, hatch small but fully formed young. While the offspring of other Suriname toad species, such as Corvalho's pipa, short term formation of tadpoles. In captivity, aquariums often have bars over the top so that young toads can avoid attack by adult predators, usually male toads.
Suriname toads as pets
Suriname toads can be kept as pets. They feed mainly on water fleas, tubifex worms and earthworms, but they can also eat small fish. They are best fed for about 10 minutes, after which any waste should be removed to prevent infection. But you should not overfeed toads, as they gain weight quickly and, as a result, there is a high risk of disease in the aquatic environment.
Toads are best kept in deep aquariums for free mating. The top of the aquarium must be closed. Since toads are nocturnal, they must have plenty of places to hide. It is recommended to provide dim lighting in the aquarium itself.
Niramin - Mar 17th, 2016
The pipa toad lives in the savannas of South America, preferring any body of water for its residence during the dry season: rivers, ponds, irrigation canals and even half-dried puddles. With the onset of the wet season, these amphibians get out of their homes and set off on a journey through the flooded tropical forests to continue your family line.
The pipa toad looks like a flat, quadrangular-shaped leaf. The triangular head has upward-facing eyes, and flaps of skin at the corners of the mouth resemble tentacles. Body length adult is about 20 cm. The pipa's body is colored brown and gray, corresponding to the muddy bottom where it usually spends most of its time. Unlike ordinary frogs, pipas do not have membranes on their forelimbs. Instead of membranes, this toad has thin long fingers, with the help of which she digs in the bottom mud in search of food. The hind limbs are strong and powerful, equipped with membranes with which the pipa swims. Interestingly, these representatives of amphibians lack teeth and tongue. In addition to these features, this toad emits a rather harsh and bad smell, reminiscent of the smell of sulfur.
Pipa feeds on small living creatures that it finds in the mud: worms, small fish and various food particles.
Despite its ugly appearance and unpleasant smell, the pipa toad is considered an example of caring for its offspring. The fact is that the female carries her eggs directly on her back. First she lays eggs like common frog, but the male picks them up and places them in special cells formed on the female’s back. As they develop, the eggs enlarge and are increasingly pressed into the deepening cells. Over the course of 80-85 days, the embryos turn into tadpoles, from which tiny cubs develop. The finally formed babies break the outer shell and climb out to begin their independent life.
Photo: Pipa with eggs on her back.
Photo: A frog embryo on the back of a female pipa.
Video: Pipa Suriname Toad
Video: Zoology: Surinamese pipa - caring for offspring
Video: Amazing Pipa Pipa Toad Birth!
Have you tried giving your toddler a ride on your own back? If not, be sure to try it! In addition to giving your baby incredible pleasure, you will be able to feel that it is not as easy as it seems. Can you imagine if there were ten of them? What about forty or even one hundred and twenty?
This is exactly the number of their own future children that the Surinamese pipa (lat. Pipa pipa). And not just a few minutes, but two and a half months. She even has special holes on her back for this. Hexagonal. Each egg has its own luxury room with meals, heating and a guarantee of safety. And they get there with the help of a caring dad.
During mating, which in Surinamese pipas lasts a whole day, the male, one at a time, squeezes out rather large (6-7 mm in diameter) eggs from the female’s ovipositor and places them in cells on her back, pressing each one with his chest. After such long and painstaking work, he considers his mission completed and retires.
The female swims with this whole company for 80-85 days, during which small peeps develop inside the eggs, turning from embryos into tadpole larvae, and then into tiny toads. Fully formed animals independently break the shell and get out into external world. In this case, the mother does not suffer at all, but simply erases the remnants of this on the stones. kindergarten and after molting begins preparation for the next babies.
Such people live amazing creatures in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Suriname. There they lead an aquatic lifestyle: Surinamese pips can be found not only in ponds and rivers, but also in irrigation canals on plantations. Even a long drought cannot force them to get out onto solid ground - peeps prefer to sit out in half-dried puddles. But during the rainy season, they relieve their souls by traveling through forests flooded by rainfall.
Such strong love to water is surprising, because Surinamese peeps have well-developed lungs and rough, keratinized skin, which is typical for terrestrial animals. Their body looks like a small flat quadrangular leaf with sharp corners on the sides. The triangular head smoothly transitions into a puny body. The eyes are turned upward, and tentacle-like skin flaps are located near the corners of the mouth.
There are no membranes on the front paws, but there are long, thin fingers - just like a musician's! True, with their help, the pipa does not play the piano, but loosens the bottom silt, extracting something edible from there. At the tips of the toes there are leathery, star-shaped appendages, for which the Surinamese pip is often called star-footed.
Strong hind legs with normal frog membranes they serve for movement in water. The color of the flattened twenty-centimeter body of adult pipas varies from blackish-brown to gray. The belly is light, but sometimes there is a dark stripe along it.
If you want to have this miracle of nature in your apartment, you will have to purchase a spacious aquarium for 100, or better yet, 200 or 300 liters, decorate it with live or artificial plants and pour fine gravel on the bottom. The water in it should be warm (about 26 degrees) and well aerated. You can feed Surinamese peeps with bloodworms, earthworms and small fish.
Pipa Corvalho, also known as the Brazilian dwarf pipa, is a frog that has poor vision, but its sensitive legs help it perceive the world.
This species of amphibian lives in northern South America. Can be found in mountains at altitudes of up to 1000 meters. In countries where the Corvalho pipa is found, the most serious insult for a woman is “senora pipita.”
Description of Pipa Corvalho
The body length is 8-9 centimeters. The body is flattened, the head is triangular. At the tips of the front fingers there are star-shaped formations - very sensitive nerve endings, thanks to which frogs dig in the ground and look for food. Peeps need sensitive fingers because they have poor vision and are blind.
There are no swimming membranes. Males are smaller than females, their bodies are flatter, the color is darker, and their eyes are small.
The body color of an adult is gray-brown-brown. The coloring of young individuals is lighter, and the belly is almost white.
Lifestyle of the Dwarf Brazilian Pipa
Corvalho pipas live exclusively in water. They are common in standing reservoirs located in lowlands and at altitudes of up to 1000 meters. They are found among snags, plants, and in muddy bottoms. If the habitat is optimal for the pipa, it does not try to leave its pond, but if the living conditions are not suitable, then frogs of any age get out of the water.
Corvallo peeps eat a lot, but always greedily. When rivers flood, peeps scour the flooded areas. During droughts and drying up of water bodies, pipas sit motionless in small puddles, waiting best time. If the pipa is frightened, it dives to the bottom and buries itself in the mud.
Reproduction of Pipa Corvalho
The male flirts with the female, but if the female does not reciprocate his feelings, he quickly lags behind her. When the female is ready to mate, the male grabs her, and she becomes numb and has a spasm throughout her body.
Feeling the trembling, the male tightly grasps the female’s body. Peeps can swim holding onto each other for 24 hours. Most often, the male looks for the female at night, and they mate at dawn.
The pair swims and suddenly turns over with their belly up at a distance of 5-10 centimeters from the surface of the water. The male is at the bottom and he becomes unstuck from the female. At this time, the female lays 6-12 eggs. The eggs slide down and fall between the male's abdomen and the female's back. The eggs are fertilized, after which the frogs turn over and the male presses the eggs into the back of the female.
The acts of laying eggs are repeated every 5-15 minutes. In total, frogs turn over about 50 times.
Each female lays about 170 eggs. The eggs are ivory in color and their diameter is 1.4 millimeters. The eggs lie in a strong layer, they are pressed into the mother’s body by about one-fourth, and over time they are immersed almost completely in the growing skin. If the eggs are not secured, they fall to the bottom and their development does not occur.
Tadpoles have spherical bodies, the diameter of which reaches 2.5-3 millimeters. The tail is transparent, its length reaches 7-9 millimeters. The tadpoles of the Brazilian dwarf pipa gather in groups, quickly hiding from predators. They can also burrow into mud. On the second day they begin to feed; they are filter feeders. First, the tadpoles develop their hind legs, and then their front legs. After 6-8 weeks, the tadpoles undergo metamorphosis. The body length of young pipas reaches 35-40 millimeters. Puberty in them it occurs at a body length of 6 centimeters.
Contents of the Dwarf Brazilian Pipa
Peeps climb glass with ease, sticking to it with their bellies. They can fit into even the tiniest cracks between the lid and the walls of the aquarium.
Pip Corvalho kept in aquariums with large area bottom. For these frogs, the depth of the water is not important, and they do not need the shore. There should be silted soil at the bottom of the aquarium. If there is no soil, then several shards are placed on the bottom of the aquarium.
The water should not contain chlorine or chloramines. It is advisable to decorate the aquarium with plants, but you can do without them. Peeps do not spoil plants. Adults (from the third month of life) are fed dry and combined food, as well as pieces of meat and fish.
Peeps get along well with large and small fish. Large cichlids and ancitrus can beat frogs.
Breeding Pip Corvalho
For reproduction and development, peeps need water with a temperature of 20-30 degrees and a hardness of 5 degrees. Aeration is harmful to tadpoles. The ratio of males to females should be 1:1. A pregnant female must be given rest. The development of embryos at a temperature of 26-28 degrees occurs in 15 days. Eggs mature unevenly. A day before the tadpoles hatch, the shells of the eggs swell and holes appear on their tops.