Frog Found Clinging to Door Frame While in Snake's Mouth

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A frog has been filmed hanging on for dear life as a snake tries desperately to swallow it.

A video of the attempted impromptu mealtime was filmed by snake catcher ​​Stuart McKenzie, who posted the footage on his Facebook page, "Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7".

The video initially showed the snake in a backyard in Australia with the frog in its mouth, with the frog refusing to let go of a door frame.

"Frogs Holding on for Dear Life!" McKenzie captioned the video. "As brutal as it can be to watch, it's fascinating to see a snake catching itself a meal! Common Tree Snakes have adapted very well to catching frogs, even in very tight spaces! The frogs, however, don't give up without a fight!"

Common tree snakes are native to Australia and Papua New Guinea and can grow to lengths of up to 6.6 feet long, but usually measure around 3.3 feet on average, according to the Queensland Department of Environment and Science. They are non-venomous, feeding mostly on frogs and skinks that they capture after lurking nearby and ambushing their prey.

"That's a big tree snake. Yeah, a common tree snake," McKenzie can be heard saying in the video. "They are [normally that big] but that's just a nice, very healthy one."

snake eating frog
Stock image of a snake eating a frog. A common tree snake in Australia was videoed attempting to eat a frog, but the frog was hanging on for dear life. ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

McKenzie initially wanted to wait until the snake had finished its snack before capturing it and removing it from the backyard.

"We want him to try and finish his meal," he said in the video. "We will give him a bit of time and try and let him eat the frog, because if we go straight in, he might drop it, and it's a waste."

Unfortunately for the snake—but fortunately for the frog—the snake was spooked by the humans crowding it.

"Even the slightest movement, he saw us and dropped his food, unfortunately," McKenzie said. "We were a safe distance back and tried not to disturb it too much, but often when snakes have a food item in their mouths and feel disturbed or endangered they'll drop it."

Since the snake had given up on its meal, McKenzie captured the reptile and released it back into the wild.

The frog, despite its ordeal, was still alive, and was also rescued by McKenzie, and is hoped to hop off into the wilderness after a stint at the wildlife hospital.

"Luckily for the frog, we'll take it to the wildlife hospital at Australia Zoo and get it some treatment, and hopefully it'll be alright!"

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About the writer

Jess Thomson is a Newsweek Science Reporter based in London UK. Her focus is reporting on science, technology and healthcare. She has covered weird animal behavior, space news and the impacts of climate change extensively. Jess joined Newsweek in May 2022 and previously worked at Springer Nature. She is a graduate of the University of Oxford. Languages: English. You can get in touch with Jess by emailing j.thomson@newsweek.com.


Jess Thomson is a Newsweek Science Reporter based in London UK. Her focus is reporting on science, technology and healthcare. ... Read more