Toad puffs itself up to defeat snake in bizarre duel in eastern India

Ajay Sharma, a resident of Bargarh in eastern India, saw a snake hunting a toad in his house on September 19th.

He called Birendra Mahananda, a Snake Helpline volunteer, to rescue the snake, which was identified as a non-venomous checkered keelback.

When Birendra went to the spot he saw an interesting duel between the snake and the toad.

The snake had caught the prey but was unable to swallow it as the toad had inflated its body by inhaling air into its lungs.

The snake worked harder and tried to turn over the toad, which inflated its body even further.

Eventually, the snake gave up and crawled away.

Birendra rescued the snake and released it in a nearby lake. The toad, which was also alive, was left outside the home.

Subhendu Mallik, the founder of Snake Helpline, said: "As keelbacks lack venom, they usually kill their prey by coiling around the body and constricting it."

"Toads are known to inflate their body in defence but I had never seen it before," he added.