look news india
The mysteries of nature have always amazed the human imagination. Usually, when we think of a poisonous snake, species like cobra, krait or viper come to mind, whose teeth (fangs) and glands naturally produce deadly poison. But in the forests of East Asia, a unique and incredible snake is found which instead of being poisonous itself, “steals” poison from other creatures. The name of this snake is ‘Tiger Keelback’, whose scientific name is Rhabdophis tigrinus Is. By eating frogs and toads, this species safely stores the dangerous poison present in their body and then uses the same poison to protect itself from predators.
How does this unique snake steal poison from frogs?
The tiger keelback is found mainly in moist forests and paddy fields in Japan, China, Korea and eastern Russia. Its main food is poisonous toads/frogs. The skin of these frogs contains a cardiac toxin (a poison that affects the heart) called ‘Bufadienolides’, which proves fatal for many animals.
Most creatures avoid eating these poisonous frogs, but the tiger keelback’s body has natural immunity against this poison. When this snake swallows these frogs, its digestive system does not destroy this toxin, but absorbs it through the blood and stores it safely in special glands at the back of its neck—called ‘nuchal glands’.
Stolen poison comes out from the neck during attack
Whenever a predatory bird, mongoose or other animal attacks the Tiger Keelback, instead of running away, this snake turns its neck and faces the predator. As soon as the predator attacks its neck, pressure is applied on those nuchal glands and from there the thick poisonous liquid goes directly into the mouth or eyes of the predator. This poison makes the predator’s heartbeat uncontrollable and causes a strong burning sensation, causing the predator to immediately retreat.
Venomous and poisonous: the only creature with both characteristics
In biology, there is a clear difference between ‘Venomous’ (which spreads poison through sting or teeth when bitten) and ‘Poisonous’ (which spreads poison when touched or eaten). The tiger keelback is one of those very rare creatures in the world that is both at the same time. It has Duvernoy’s gland in its rear jaw, through which it releases mild venom into its prey when bitten, while the glands in its neck contain poison stolen from frogs.
Stolen protective cover is passed from mother to children
Another shocking fact has emerged in scientific research. When a female tiger keelback eats plenty of poisonous frogs, she also transfers the toxin to the yolk of her eggs. The result is that the hatchlings are venomous and safe from the first day of birth, even if they have not yet eaten a single frog.
