A black-spotted pond frog (Pelophylax nigromaculatus) has been shown to prey on giant hornets and endure their stings, a finding that flips our assumptions about these wasp-like predators. Giant hornets are known for their intimidating size and a venomous sting capable of harming humans, which has earned them the nickname “murder hornets.” Yet recent research demonstrates that these hornets can become a regular part of a pond frog’s diet, even when the frogs are repeatedly stung, and the hornets’ stingers remain visible in the frogs’ mouths after feeding.
In a controlled experiment, Kobe University ecologist Shinji Sugiura placed individual pond frogs inside clear plastic enclosures and offered them three hornet species: the yellow hornet (Vespa simillima), the yellow-vented hornet (Vespa analis), and the Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia), the largest hornet species on record. The interactions were recorded on video, revealing high attack rates by the frogs: about 93% success for targeting V. simillima, 87% for V. analis, and 79% for V. mandarinia.
During these encounters, frogs were stung multiple times, and one clip even shows a frog with a hornet’s sting embedded in its mouth after a successful snack. Despite these stings, the frogs appeared unaffected, resuming activity and continuing to feed. This suggests an extraordinary tolerance to hornet venom, at least in this species and under these experimental conditions.
Sugiura notes that a mouse of comparable size can succumb to a single sting, whereas these pond frogs did not exhibit obvious harm from repeated exposure. The discovery highlights the potential for the black-spotted pond frog to serve as a model organism for studying venom tolerance and pain resistance in vertebrates.
Future investigations could explore the frog’s possible defense mechanisms, such as physical barriers or venom-neutralizing proteins, or whether hornet toxins simply aren’t effective against amphibians that rarely attack hornet colonies.
The study appears in Ecosphere and provides new insight into predator–venom dynamics and the surprising ways some amphibians cope with potent venom.
