Pictured: Toad turns tables on predator by eating 3ft snake

This astonishing picture shows nature working in reverse - a toad eating its own predator, a snake.

The huge cane toad turned the tables on its natural enemy, a keelback snake, and grabbed the slithery reptile as it was about to strike and consume the toad for dinner.

The toad moved first, opened its jaws and clamped them down on the snake.

Surprise: The cane toad turns on its predator and eats the keelback snake

Then, to the astonishment of wildlife officials who came across the scene, the toad set about swallowing its enemy.

The drama was played out on a cane toad research area at a cattle ranch 60 miles south of Darwin, in Australia's Northern Territory.

Scientists have set aside the area to study the activities of the cane toad species, which was brought into the country from Hawaii in 1935 to control a beatle which was destroying sugar cane.



But it then set about killing wildlife with the poison it excretes through its pores and eating insects that are important to the bio-diversity of the bush.

One of the researchers who came across the snake-eating toad was Darwin's Lord Mayor, Graeme Sawyer, who is also a member of the study team.

When he came across the 'battle scene' about 4in of the 2ft long snake was already down the toad's throat.

'I was absolutely amazed,' said Mr Sawyer. 'To see a large female cane toad like this one eating a live snake is just unbelievable.

'I thought I'd try to give the snake a chance so I grabbed it and I was able to pull it from the frog's mouth before it went any further down its throat.

'Miraculously, the snake was still alive, so I released it into nearby bushland.' The 8in toad was also said to be alive and well - the keelback is Australia's only non-venomous snake, but for cane toads it is usually the kiss of death.

The Queensland Government, in an official briefing note about the snake, describes it as a reptile that eats frogs, tadpoles and lizards.

'If you hear a frog screaming (a blood-curdling shriek!) it could be half-way down a keelback's gullet by the time you track it down.'



The snake uses its scales to grip onto slippery surfaces in marshy areas when travelling over mud or vegetation.

'I don't know what would have happened in the long run with this unique confrontation,' said Mr Sawyer.



'I don't know whether the snake would have died or the toad would have been able to swallow it all.'



Northern Territory snake expert Chris Peberdy described the incident as 'an unusual act of nature.' '

The keelback is the only snake known in Australia that can eat cane toads and survive.

'It is a known predator of juvenile toads, so this is definitely a case of the tables being turned.'



The incident has caused Mr Sawyer to question what cane toads are doing to Australia's wildlife.

'An incident like this with a cane toad eating a big snake shows the potential for cane toads to impact heavily on our wildlife.

'Last year we saw a number of young keelbacks in one spot and a week later they were gone, but the adults were still there.

'We reflected at the time on whether cane toads had eaten them.

They're taking on many things - when we open up their stomachs as part of our research we are finding centipedes, scorpions and spiders. They have no fear.'

