Frogs Fearlessly Feast on ‘Murder Hornets,’ Revealing Secrets to Venom Resistance
A groundbreaking new study reveals that black-spotted pond frogs exhibit a remarkable tolerance – and even a preference – for consuming highly venomous hornets, including the infamous Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia). This surprising behavior could unlock new avenues for developing antivenoms and pain-resistant therapies.
The initial wave of alarm surrounding the North American “murder hornet” scare of 2020 may have been overstated, but the potency of the northern giant hornet’s sting remains undeniable. As one entomologist described it, the venom feels “like a hot nail being driven into my leg.” While avoiding a sting from these, or similar yellow hornets like V. analis and V. simillima, is still advisable, new research demonstrates that some creatures not only withstand the venom but actively seek out these stinging insects as a food source.
For years, scientists have known from analyzing stomach contents that pond frogs occasionally consume hornets. However, no experimental work had previously examined how this predation occurs. To address this knowledge gap, researchers at Kobe University offered three hornet species – V. mandarinia, V. analis, and V. simillima – to hungry black-spotted pond frogs (Pelophylax nigromaculatus). Each frog was presented with a hornet size-matched to its own, with the largest frogs receiving the roughly 1.75-inch-long northern giant hornet.
The results, published in the journal Ecosphere, were striking. Frogs successfully attacked and consumed V. simillima, V. analis, and V. mandarinia at rates of 93%, 87%, and 79% respectively. Critically, the frogs didn’t attempt to avoid the stingers. In several instances, they were stung in the mouth and even in the eyes, yet showed no significant adverse reaction.
“While a mouse of similar size can die from a single sting, the frogs showed no noticeable harm even after being stung repeatedly,” explained a lead researcher on the project. “This extraordinary level of resistance to powerful venom makes the discovery both unique and exciting.”
This resilience suggests the frogs may have evolved to tolerate both the pain and toxicity of the hornet venom. Prior research has established that pain and lethality aren’t always correlated in venomous stings. For example, the sting of a bullet ant (Paraponera clavata) is excruciating, yet rarely fatal, while a common bee sting can be deadly for those with allergies. Building on this understanding, researchers theorize that the pond frogs may possess a dual tolerance – a resistance to both the painful sensation and the toxic effects of the venom.
“This raises an important question for future work,” the researcher added. “Namely, whether pond frogs have physiological mechanisms such as physical barriers or proteins that block the pain and toxicity of hornet venom, or whether hornet toxins have simply not evolved to be effective in amphibians, which rarely attack hornet colonies.”
The confirmation that frogs readily consume stinging hornets has spurred further research into the amphibians’ mechanisms of venom tolerance. Understanding these mechanisms could have far-reaching implications, potentially informing the development of novel antivenoms and even medical treatments designed to enhance pain resistance.
