Green frog climbs the food chain

[jojackson]

IN a bizarre upset of the food chain a green frog devoured a brown tree snake for dinner on Sunday night.....

http://www.dailymercury.com.au/story/2009/12/31/green-frog-climbs-up-the-food-chain-after-having-a/

North Mackay resident Ian Hamilton was surprised to find this green frog devouring what appears to be a brown tree snake in his backyard at the weekend

 

[ijmccollum]

Woah dude! Looks like one one big White's giving payback for all his kin!

 

[jojackson]

Yes Its a whites L.cearulea. Amazing what they catch/eat. Ive seen them Eat Bats!

 

[ijmccollum]

Man, don't tell me they are catching fruit bats! I will now live in fear of my room-mates! Actually it is great to see them thriving in their native habitat. I really love these guys -- great smiley faces among other contributions.

 

[jojackson]

Rofl, No, not fruit bats, Microbats (insectivorous) they swarm from caves at Mt Etna (qld) and the frogs perch on ledges and catch them as they leave at dusk.

This ones munching a 'little bent wing bat' (Miniopterus australis)

Amazingly, they also share hunting grounds with A.Childreni (childrens pythons) without becoming dinner themselves...Mostly!
The pythons somehow hang on the slimest protrusions on cave walls and pluck the bats from the air, without falling!

 

[lucky]

whites tree frogs are really awesome! i had one a long time ago. his name was MR. Sulu

 

[jojackson]

I also Have a pair Im quite fond of. They are 6yrs old this year, still babies. A freind has some that are 31 yrs old!

 

[lucky]

holy jeebus!!!
they can live that long? thats a LOOOOONG time.

 

[ijmccollum]

Wow! I was thinking 15-20 yrs max. Life is good -- lets keep them going. Habitat is key -- that means bats, snakes, all inclusive.

Interesting cohabitation with frogs/snakes. Must be some sort of detante`.

 

[Syn]

Is that all I have to do to move up on the food chain? Eat a couple tree snakes? YEESH!

 

[ijmccollum]

as an aside... curious how those snakes manage to adhere to those slimy rocks. Don't know about yours, but my critters that adhere to walls, etc., seem to appreciate some dry surfaces to attach to primarily.

 

[jojackson]

Actually these are limestone caves, and they just dont run with water, so they arnt actually slimy as such, but dry, except on the floor where rain may run inside and bat poop collects
There quite good at climbing trees too. The ventral Scales do most of the work, they catch on the smallest singularities on bark, rock or whatever, combined with the muscular ability, and in this case light weight of the snake, make it possible.
I find it more incredible that they can anchor themselves with a third of their length or less, reaching well out into open air, and catch, coil a bat, among literally thousands swarming past, and not fall!
Who needs limbs!

 

[Syn]

Jo, you always seem to find the best pictures.. Yowza

 

[jojackson]

This is a brown Tree snake (boiga irregularis) same as the one the frog above is eating.

Heres what im talking about...

 

[ijmccollum]

Wow! Impressive as hell! Wish I had that kind of muscle control. There are times my feet are too heavy! One third of body as anchor -- that is awesome predator--prey interaction.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I also Have a pair Im quite fond of. They are 6yrs old this year, still babies. A freind has some that are 31 yrs old!

Do you feed yours small snakes and such, or just insects?
Do you worry about parasites?

I've not had mine long, have not fed them anything wild caught. I could offer them wc baby snakes in the spring. But Im concerned about parasites.

 

[ijmccollum]

Here are my wee-bits. Pretty sure they are under a year. The only thing they are taking out right now are crickets. Not sure how fast their growth rate is. I know tomato frogs get huge in little time.

 

[jojackson]

Do you feed yours small snakes and such, or just insects?
Do you worry about parasites?

I've not had mine long, have not fed them anything wild caught. I could offer them wc baby snakes in the spring. But Im concerned about parasites.

No Sandra, mine are fed almost exclusively on captive raised insects, occasional mice in spring after brumation. I do feed them large moths I catch out back, the odd grasshopper etc but thats the limit of it.
Ive never been overly concerned with parasites carrid by these insects, but those carried by wild reptiles might be a different matter, since many wild reptiles small enough to be eaten by a large frog, themselves eat other reptiles and frogs.
Many wild caught reptile/frog eating herps carry a variety of parasites including skin worms. Captive raised baby snakes may be ok.

My theory (so well demonstrated by my freinds frogs), regarding any reptile, is that though they are opportunistic to a large degree in the natural state,
In captivity they do best provided a lean and regular balanced diet. Slow but adequate growth equates to a healthier animal in the long term.
Too often captive frogs and reptiles are overfed by well meaning owners
who have emotional difficulty overcoming the urge to feed them like mammals.
Reptiles and frogs require only 1/10th the food energy of mammals, meaning
overfed critters tend to develope fatty organs, be generally prone to illness, be less active and in the long term, have a much shortened life term.
Interestingly, overfed reptiles also can experience difficulty reproducing.

My freinds pair mentioned above are extrordinarily large, about the size of two clenched fists together, but it's taken a long time for them to get so large.
By comparison, Ive seen the same species at reptile shows, the same size at 2-4 yrs old! Poor things look impressive yes, pretty yes, but they just sit there like green jello barely able to move much less jump or support their weight. These are unhealthy animals that will not live anywhere near as long.
My freinds frogs are still active and still breeding! He never feeds his anything other than I do. Variety is important though.

 

[ijmccollum]

So is watching the fat flaps over their ears a good indicator as generally reported? I want healthy but not obese.

 

[jojackson]

Yes Definately, The tympanic ridges shouldnt bulge at all. Your young frogs look smashing mate, older frogs should look the same, but larger.
Ive seen tympanic ridges that hung over the frogs eyes like a spare tire. Very bad.
Females are generally larger, can be a little fatter but the same applies.

This one is beggining to put on too much weight...Aka, they shouldnt be more pronounced than this.

this one is slightly obese

definately obese..Dosent look like a happy camper does he! (note) coloration is an indicator of very poor health.