When a snake was seen biting a large frog, onlookers expected it to be dead within minutes. However, the feisty frog wasn’t taking things lying down.
Shane Wridgway submitted this video to Latest Sightings. He filmed it on the H1-1 road, in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
WATCH THE VIDEO NOW:
Wriggling in the road
As we join Shane and his companions on their afternoon game drive, something is seen writhing in the road ahead.
Subsequently, as the vehicle comes to a stop some distance away, we see that a snake is pursuing a large frog. Frogs are a key part of the diets of many different snake species.
Snake and frog ID’s
As Shane zooms in, we are able to identify the two species involved. The snake appears to be a female boomslang.
The frog is an African bullfrog. Both species are relatively common across southern Africa.
Not quite bite-sized
Over the next ten minutes-plus, Shane and his companions watched in dismay as the boomslang bit repeatedly at the bullfrog. However, each time it did, the frog simply hopped away.
Furthermore, as the snake pursued it, the frog inflated its body. This made it increasingly harder for the snake to achieve a decent bite.
No matter which angle the snake approached from, it just could not embed its fangs. Accordingly, there was nothing to prevent the frog from hopping away. Over the course of the sighting, the snake would bite the frog dozens of times, seemingly without effect.
Conspiring factors
Obviously, the bullfrog’s ability to inflate its body was making life difficult for the boomslang. However, there’s another factor to consider.
A boomslang is a rear-fanged (or opisthoglyphous) snake, meaning that the fangs lie towards the back of the jaw. Although they can open their mouth’s an astonishing 170°, they sometimes struggle to envenomate large prey.
Had it managed to bite a limb, it may have been able to inject more venom. Whatever the case, if their “facial expressions” are anything to go by, neither species seemed to be enjoying the experience.
Get our Best Sightings as they Come in
Bite, leap, repeat
Seemingly suffering no ill effects from the repeated bites, the bullfrog did everything it could to escape. However, the snake was too fast and easily kept up with the fleeing frog.
Even though the poor frog managed to leap clear of the snake’s jaws several times, the snake would simply slither after it each time and attempt another bite.
Another reason for the frog’s apparent resilience is that boomslang venom is slow-acting. Boomslang venom is hemotoxic. This means that it prevents blood clots, leading to internal bleeding.
So, while it may have successfully punctured the frog’s skin, it may take several hours to take effect.
Assumed outcome
Eventually, the snake decided to move off. As we hear Shane comment, this may be due to all the onlookers who’d gathered around the sighting by this time.
As his video comes to an end, the snake was last seen slithering into the grass next to the road.
Consequently, we don’t know the outcome. Even so, considering how many times the snake bit the bullfrog, it seems unlikely that it survived.