Overview
- A peer-reviewed Ecosphere study led by Kobe University’s Shinji Sugiura documented black-spotted pond frogs actively attacking live hornet workers, including Asian giant hornets.
- In controlled, size-matched trials, frogs consumed Vespa simillima, V. analis, and V. mandarinia at rates of 93%, 87%, and 79%, respectively.
- Frogs were stung in the mouth, eyes, and throat yet showed no noticeable harm or deaths, contrasting with small mammals that can die from a single hornet sting.
- Larger frogs were more successful against larger hornets, indicating a body-size effect and confirming active predation rather than sting avoidance.
- The tolerance mechanism is unresolved, with planned physiological and molecular tests and broader prey trials proposed; the research was funded by JSPS KAKENHI.