fieldherping.eu

I mean helvetica, not persa. I watched the snake for 15 min. She wasn't successfull at all.
https://youtu.be/c2BtjF6oaOA

Actually, looking at that video I'm thinking hunting frogs on land might be more difficult than in water. Snakes, especially Natrix, are pretty good and quick swimmers, so they might be able to catch a swimming frog, but on land one long leap of the frog and the chase is over for the snake.

Ilian Velikov wrote:Actually, looking at that video I'm thinking hunting frogs on land might be more difficult than in water.
Snakes, especially Natrix, are pretty good and quick swimmers, so they might be able to catch a swimming
frog, but on land one long leap of the frog and the chase is over for the snake.

I would agree with your impression - a long leap of the frog and the chase is over for the snake. So, on land
the snake has to take a frog BY SURPRISE, that seems the only possibility. But on land both the predator and
prey have much better opportunities to hide than in water, so taking anyone by surprise is more feasible on
land. In wiev of that, I'd say N. natrix don't seem even to try SURPRISING frogs in OPEN WATER, because it's
next to impossible. On the surface of a pond everyone can plainly see anyone else, no seek-and-hide...
On the other hand, when it comes to who's the faster swimmer, it's my impression that frogs in deep water
are MUCH faster than grass snakes, but it's only an impression - no real "measurements" to support it.
But taking these "impressions" together, maybe that's why the grass snakes might have "decided" not even
to try going for a frog in open water. (They can't take it by surprise, and when a frog starts diving, it's faster
underwater.) And, consequently, the frogs might have "learned" not to worry... (Over evolutionary times, of
course, for both species.)
Just a conjecture of mine. (In science that's called "my pet theory"... not necessarily true, but I like it - until
disproven, of course.)
I don't know, but I'd very much like to.