Moments before death: fatal fight between venomous pit viper and frog captured in eerie photo

The photo of a fatal fight between a venomous viper and a frog was shortlisted for the "Close-up Photographer of the Year 2024" contest. We see the last moments of the victim's life before death.

Photographers from all over the world demonstrated their vision of wildlife animals and insects up close. Among the selected ones, you can see many moments of cruel hunting, LiveScience writes.

A shocking photo captures the moment a venomous green pit viper devours a brown tree frog in a rainforest in Taiwan. At this moment, the frog is sadly taking its last breath of air.

According to scientists, the pit viper (Trimeresurus) has bright green scales and a venomous bite. It is a highly skilled predator that can often be found in the rainforests of Asia.

The photo shows that the snake's prey was a brown tree frog (Polypedates braueri), which is a master of camouflage and agility and usually lives in trees.

"As I was walking along the trail, a faint scream from the ditch caught my attention," said photographer Woody Tu, noting that when he got closer, he saw a viper clutching a frog in its jaws. "In the last moments, the frog stretched its mouth wide to take its last breath before the venom took effect," the photographer added.

The image was shortlisted in the Animals category for the Close-Up Photographer of the Year award, which also includes a photo of a young wallaby hiding in its mother's bag.

A panel of 25 judges selected the shortlisted images from 11,681 entries.

The 100 best images have been selected. The winning photos will be published in January 2025.

The shortlist includes many photographs that capture the cruel moments of the hunt.

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