Happy ending for toad

Scare for couple: snake eats in garage

The grass snake was about to eat the toad.(Bild: zVg)

A young hunter photographed a natural spectacle with a grass snake and a toad in Leutasch in the Tyrolean district of Innsbruck-Land: why the snake turned the garage into a hunting ground remains a mystery. 

Homeowners in Leutasch were treated to a rare natural spectacle on Wednesday: A grass snake had turned their garage into its hunting ground while the door was open for an hour.

"When we wanted to drive out of the garage in the afternoon, we saw something dark lying on the ground that was moving slightly," reports the local resident. "At first we suspected it was a slow worm. My girlfriend kept her distance and I got out of the car to have a look."

Young hunter kept his nerve
Then he spotted a snake that had bitten into a toad from behind: "I immediately pulled out my cell phone camera and filmed the natural spectacle," says the young hunter.

After a while, I wanted to gently maneuver the snake and its prey out of the garage. Then it let go of the toad, which immediately took flight.

Der Hausbesitzer

The toad fought for its life
The grass snake was obviously struggling to eat its prey. "After a while, I tried to gently maneuver the snake and its prey out of the garage. Then it let go of the toad, which immediately took flight. The snake also fled and hid under the grating of a drainage channel." It is unclear why the garage became the scene of the hunt. Perhaps the warm car underside was welcome for the toad - and for the snake too.

The non-poisonous grass snake is one of the most common snake species in Austria. Its preferred prey are amphibians.