N. Water Snake vs. N. Leopard Frog *graphic pics*

Removed_2815 · 08-15-04, 10:43 PM

The Northern Water Snakes (Nerodia sipedon) are dropping their babies this time of year and I happened to stumble upon a neonate consuming it's (likely) first meal.
Of course, I had my camera with me so enjoy the show!

And you think you're having a bad day (this Leopard was alive for most of the process)...

This Water Snake is only 7" long and seems to have made a poor choice in orienting its prey (back legs first is not so good when the snake reaches the forelimbs - the whole ingestion literally took a couple of hours).

Notice the tear in the epidermis of the frog - throw in a little anticoagulating saliva and you can probably imagine what comes next...

(the frog is still very much alive)

An hour later, the frog has finally succumbed to it's predator...

A little disgusting, but this is what happens when you try and squish such a large frog down such a small snake - notice a portion of the digestive system has prolapsed.

So there you have it! Predator and prey - it ain't pretty sometimes but that's life...

Cheers,
Ryan
P.S. The snake is still going strong - I have seen it a couple of times since.

CamHanna · 08-16-04, 12:52 AM

That is a very impressive lump! I'm surprised the snake could get down such a big frog, especually backwards! A great set of pics. Thank You

Matt · 08-16-04, 06:34 AM

thats amazing, what a great find!

Scales Zoo · 08-16-04, 07:58 AM

Great find! Very cool pictures, did you get any of it on video?

Ryan

BoidKeeper · 08-16-04, 08:11 AM

Oh no the snake injected some substrate! You better get it to the vet quick!
Great shots Ryan. A once in a life time find.
Cheers,
Trevor

Jonathan Crowe · 08-16-04, 06:24 PM

Any time I've seen a garter snake eating a frog, it's started from the rear. Grabbed a leg first and went from there.

Swampwalker · 08-16-04, 11:40 PM

Thats a great find Ryan and you did a great job on photographing the event. I always enjoy viewing your pictures.

Removed_2815 · 08-17-04, 07:26 AM

Thanks Cam, Matt, Ryan, Trevor, and Stewart

Quote:

Originally posted by Scales Zoo
Great find! Very cool pictures, did you get any of it on video?

Ryan

I did get some video but since it was such a slow process the video isn't too exciting. I did get a video of it swimming away through the vegetation which is pretty neat to watch...
Cheers,
Ryan

Alias47 · 08-17-04, 10:10 AM

That is absolutely amazing. That frog was HUGE compared to the snake.

You're lucky to have gotten a chance to watch.

HeatherRose · 08-17-04, 04:15 PM

Those are some really amazing pictures!!!! Thanks for sharing

latazyo · 08-17-04, 04:54 PM

absolutely brilliant

do snakes like this that eat frogs and fish constrict their prey at all?

JonD · 08-17-04, 05:13 PM

Wow that's very sweet.... some cool pictures

Removed_2815 · 08-17-04, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by latazyo
do snakes like this that eat frogs and fish constrict their prey at all?

I believe they are capable of constricting, but will rarely (if ever) constrict a frog or a fish. These prey items cannot really inflict any kind of injury to the snake if consumed alive (like a rat could do to a Rat Snake) so killing first may just be a waste of energy.
Just speculation though...
Cheers,
Ryan

jjnnbns · 08-17-04, 08:20 PM

Wow.

That is one of the most amazing series of pics that I've seen in awhile! Very impressive.

I saw this earlier while I was at work and was speechless!

Keep that camera on you man!

C.m.pyrrhus · 08-18-04, 12:29 AM

Very nice set of pics. Nerodia ROCK!
I wish I would have done the same with some of the things I seen this year.

I came across a Wandering Garter taking a very large Sceloporus ssp. Very much to large for it to consume, but exciting to see! I did try for some pics, but I startled the guy and he took his attempted meal into the tall grass to avoid me. Could not get a good shot in that fashion. I just sat and watched (and listened) the struggle for a good few minutes, maybe even an hour.