The Surinam toad’s life begins in a way that feels almost designed to challenge human comfort. In the stillness of murky water, a male and female meet in a slow, precise dance. As she releases her eggs, he fertilizes them mid-fall and gently tucks each one into the soft skin of her back. Over time, her flesh thickens and seals them in, turning her body into a living nursery, a quiet landscape hiding dozens of beating hearts.

Inside each tiny chamber, a complete metamorphosis unfolds, unseen. Tadpoles grow legs, absorb their tails, and become perfect miniature toads, all while entombed beneath their mother’s skin. When their transformation is done, they don’t wait for an invitation. They erupt outward, sharp and sudden, as if the body itself is breaking open with life. Moments later, the wounds close, the surface smooths, and the creature that horrified you becomes ordinary again—until you remember what it once held.