Battle for Survival

I generally have busy Sundays doing my once in a week household work etc. but this time it was different thanks to the festival/holiday season! Feeling tame at home, got out to see one of my acquaintances, Bora (it is his surname though) at a nearby place, only for that selfish reason. After 10-15 mins of general conservation when I was getting up to leave, Bora casually mentioned about a Snake which has caught a too-big-to-swallow Frog in his backyard. My heartbeats rocketed and I immediately changed my course and ran towards the opposite direction! But I failed to spot the snake right away, Bora then pointed towards a corner under a lemon shrub. It was a 3 ft (approx.) greenish serpent with yellow marking on the body and trying to sallow not a frog but a common toad (Bufo melanostictus). I asked Bora to keep an eye on them and left to get my camera. From the size of the toad I knew that the snake would take time to gulp it down. Once armed with my camera, I tiptoed towards the snake. It was difficult then I thought to reach the snake, I literally crawled ignoring mud, sewage lines, rotting garbage and thorny bushes. The snake seemed alert but ignorant of me and put all of its focus and strategy towards contending the toad. After clicking some images I realized I wasn’t close enough for a proper photograph and the reptile was still 3-4 meters away from me! But a barbed wire fence restricted my progress, as if asserting my limit. Neither I nor the snake was in the best position to photograph but I had to settle for whatever I had.

The Epic Battle!

Lying under the lemon shrub trying to focus my camera, I realized that through such epic battles how these species have evolved to confront each other and co exist. Its evolution which enables the snake to expend it’s lower jaw to swallow a prey as much as 4 times (in this case) it’s own head size, like a human gulping down a whole pig or goat. On the other hand the toad inflamed itself as a defense mechanism! Back to reality, my love for frogs made me feel sorry for the poor toad which was being swallowed alive! But I love snakes too and I knew it was following its natural instinct. So I remained calm and did what I was supposed to do, photograph this natural phenomenon! It was really a big toad, probably bigger than the snake would have wanted! Generally snakes eat their prey head first but it was reverse in this case. The snake got hold of the toad from behind and because of the size of the toad and in the absence venom it had no choice other than to hold on to its grip and ‘walk’ it’s jaws forward along the prey! In not more than 10-15 mins the toad had gradually disappeared into the snake’s stomach. After tolerating me through its lunch the snake seemed to be getting agitated with my presence. More so because with a prey that size inside it, the snake knew it would be vulnerable to all sorts of threats. I knew visitor’s time was up and I must leave.

Holding on for dear Life!

Back to my place, I tried to identify the snake. The photos were not (close) enough but with my limited knowledge and literature I knew it was one of the Keelbacks. Its color and patterns made me uncertain between Green Keelback (Marcopisthodon plumbicolor) and Red Necked Keelback (Rhabdophis subminiatus). Later Herpetologist Abhijit Das helped me to confirm it to be an adult Red Necked Keelback. It’s a rear fanged, semi-venomous species that is widely distributed in South East Asia. Since they are rear fanged, a short and quick bite of the snake may not harm, but a prolonged bite is reported to be lethal.

Though it was an everyday activity in a Snake or toad’s life but it’s fascinating how these reptiles and amphibians have evolved and survived for millions of years! But unfortunately other than herpetologists like Abhijit and snake lovers like me they don’t enthuse much of us. But we mustn’t underestimate the fact that they inhabited our planet much before we did and we, the mammals have evolved from some form of amphibians or reptiles. So it’s time we gave them the respect that they deserve and learn to coexist!

Am grateful to Bora for the sighting and Abhijit for the help in identification and information.