How is it possible to sneak up on a frog and grab it with such force that it is unable to escape as you slowly swallow it headfirst while it is still alive? With a mixture of horror and fascination, I witnessed part of the process yesterday when I spotted an Eastern Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis sauritus sauritus) that had captured a Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor).
I was walking through the vegetation at the edge of a field when I spotted a part of the body of the ribbon snake. I moved closer as my eyes traced the body of the snake as I searched for its head. When I spotted the head from a distance, I was confused—it was enlarged like that of a hooded cobra and it was swaying back and forth. What was going on?
I slowed down and gradually came to realize that the snake had a struggling frog in its mouth and was holding it in the air so that the flailing legs had nothing to grab onto for leverage. The frog seemed so much bigger than the snake’s head that it seemed almost impossible that the snake could swallow it.
The snake slithered a short distance away with its partially swallowed prey and continued the process. I managed to get a glimpse of the astonishing extent to which the snake can open its mouth before the disappeared disappeared under a pile of wood to enjoy its meal in peace.
Initially I couldn’t identify the frog, but my good friend Walter Sanford made an initial identification and pointed me to the website of the Virginia Herpetological Society. I carefully read the information there and have concluded that the frog is probably a Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor), although it is possible it could be a Cope’s Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis). “Our two native gray treefrogs are identical in appearance. In the field the only two ways to distinguish H. chrysoscelis from H. versicolor is by their call and in some cases geographic location.”
I was particularly struck by the bright orange color on the hind legs of the frog. Wikepedia notes that both of the potential species have bright-yellow patches on their hind legs, which distinguishes them from other tree frogs and that “the bright patches are normally only visible while the frog is jumping.” Obviously the situation I witnessed is not “normal,” so I was able to see the colors, even though the frog was obviously not jumping.
I’ve included a small series of shots to give you a sense of the situation. They were all shot handheld with my Tamron 180mm macro lens.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Great shots, 🙂
Those are fine shots of something we rarely see!
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Great captures.
Thanks, Lyle. I still don’t quite understand how the snake does it–it seems like a magic trick.
Nice get. I witnessed a similar incident, but before I could grad a camera from the house, one of our wiener dogs bit the snake and saved the frog 🙂
I really like frogs, so I congratulate your dogs for freeing one. I was fortunate to have my camera in hand with an appropriate lens and settings for the situation.
Fascinating! You really held your calm to get such amazing shots, if I had seen something like that I think I would have forgotten to get shooting. Do you think the frog is blowing up his body to try and escape being swallowed? I had read snakes can temporarily dislocate their jaw bones to engulf their prey but what it is doing looks impossible. Amelia
I confess, Amelia, to not knowing much about frog behavior, but it seemed to me that the frog was struggling to escape. Perhaps blowing up the body was part of the process or was caused by the constriction the snake was applying to the head.
Wonderful shots! I’ve never seen a wild snake eating. What a great opportunity you stumbled upon. I will need to keep an eye out for those frogs too. I like their wee orange breeches.
Good luck, Laura, in finding these frogs–they seem to be pretty elusive. I am amazed at the cool things I somehow manage to find, though this one has a tinge of the gruesome to it.
Britches not breeches. Ruddy autocorrect!
Great catch, Mike! Talk about being in the right place at the right time. I’ve heard several Gray Treefrogs at the same location, but I’ve never been fortunate to see one. Lucky for you; unlucky for the frog. But seriously, I’m surprised to see both frogs and snakes active at this time of year.
Thanks, Walter. This was the the first time for me to see a frog of that species. I too am surprised that reptiles and amphibians are up and about in mid-November.
Fascinating, and great shots … Talk about right place, right time! Wow!
Carol
Absolutely amazing photo series. I new they could swallow some fairly large objects, but that is just stunning.
Thanks, Charlie. I saw part of the process, but it’s like a magic trick–I don’t know how the snake was able to do it.
Amazing Mike. That frog is huge. I Know that snakes dislocate their jaws to swallow their prey, but even then it is a big frog to fit in!!
Thanks, Chris. I’m amazed at the way the snake can ingest a prey that big, without even having the benefit of gravity. I guess it’s all done using muscle power–abs of steel.
Reblogged this on Becoming is Superior to Being and commented:
My naturalist friends have got to love this. Great shots Mike!
Thanks, kenne, for the reblog. I’m pretty sure that this kind of thing happens all the time, but only occasionally do we get a glimpse of it under circumstances in which we can get photos.
Brilliant sequence Mike!
Thanks, Sarah.
Great post, amazing photos.
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