Surinam toad
- noun
- /ˈsʊrɪnæm toʊd/
- Specialized
- The Surinam toad is famous for the unusual way it raises its offspring in pockets on its back.
Examples
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Researchers studied the reproductive habits of the Surinam toad in the Amazon rainforest.
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A documentary showed baby Surinam toads emerging from their mother's back.
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The Surinam toad is unique in its reproductive method.
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Did you know that the Surinam toad carries its babies on its back?
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A documentary showed baby Surinam toads emerging from their mother's back.
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Researchers studied the reproductive habits of the Surinam toad in the Amazon rainforest.
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The Surinam toad is famous for the unusual way it raises its offspring in pockets on its back.
Synonyms
A South American toad that carries its eggs in holes on its back until they become tadpoles
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound combines the place name 'Surinam' with the noun 'toad', so a learner who knows both words will readily infer it refers to a toad associated with Surinam (a species or an origin). The place-name + animal pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows standard compositional rules, making the meaning transparently derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Surinam toad comes from the country Suriname and names a flat toad that keeps its eggs and babies in small pockets on its back. That strong image—babies 'coming out' of the mother's back—explains why the toad is famous for raising its young in 'skin pockets'.