Breakfast for a Snake

Too Cool Paul,
The detail and colors are outstanding and the blur of the surroundings is excellent, Too bad about the Frog but this is nature at its best, Outstanding Capture.

Nature at work, nice catch, color, detail and comp!!

This must have been quite an experience! I appreciate the rich colors and that you were able to get a clear view of both the snake and the frog. In a perfect world you would not have had quite so much vegetation to deal with, limiting your choices.

Thank you everyone. Nature is cruel, sometimes; however, from the snake's point of view, the frog means survival for another few days. Still, the squealing of that frog imparted a feeling of some sympathy for it. Thanks again for all your comments!

Excellent, Paul. I have heard many species of frog screaming as they were being eaten by snakes. It's a good way to find snakes. Many frogs have a specific alarm squeal they use only when being eaten. It's thought that the function is to attract other animals, some of which might be snake predators (alligators in Florida, for example), and that these "secondary predators" sometimes cause the snake to release their frog prey to escape. Doesn't work often, though. I've heard anurans still squealing while they are traveling through the snake's esophagus on the way to the stomach.

Peter, many thanks for the explanation. In fact, that is how I found this scene, i.e. by the screaming of the frog. The theory that the frog's screaming may serve to attract "secondary predators" could be valid. Not only was I there observing this, so were several crows. They did keep the snake on the move, but that didn't force the release of the frog. It eventually succumbed to its fate.