# Swallowed frog: How did it/does it die? (I think it's dead.) \[not gross but unsettling .jpg\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 5, 2014, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711 "2014-05-05T14:55:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/1 "2014-05-05T14:55:39Z")
Swallowed frog _in situ._ It’s all cloudy bug-eyed so I think it’s dead. Actually, that’s the point of OP. Suffocation–I hope? Chemical, ie, that it is slowly burned to death with acids? I’ve often wondered about the death experience/agonies in the wild. I remember here a thread on whether or not the (comforting) idea that animals being mortally attacked enter some sort of non-conscious state is a comforting idea but false. :: shudder :: ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/2 "2014-05-05T15:03:11Z")
When feeding frogs to pet snakes, I have seen evidence that frogs sometimes survive the swallowing process, but not for long. I would guess that gastric juices on skin that is permeable enough for oxygen transfer puts out the lights pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/3 "2014-05-05T15:04:31Z")
Frogs do a lot of their respiration through the skin, and they don’t need a lot of oxygen anyway. I suspect most frogs that are swallowed whole will succumb to stomach acid before they suffocate. The vast majority of animals in the wild suffer pretty brutal deaths. Some may be killed quickly by predators, but others will be eaten alive, sometimes piecemeal. Perhaps they sometimes may go into shock and be relatively unaware of the pain, but I have no reason to suppose that death is usually painless. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/4 "2014-05-05T15:14:48Z")
FTR the frog in the picture was apparently alive and hopped away ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/5 "2014-05-05T15:19:38Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > FTR the frog in the picture was apparently alive and hopped away It doesn’t appear to have actually entered the fish’s stomach. And the cloudy eyes are probably due to it having raised its [nictitating membranes](http://o.quizlet.com/i/UFbIvgOGfE1KkaHsECxQ6Q_m.jpg) (semitransparent eyelids) to protect its eyes. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/6 "2014-05-05T15:35:16Z")
I used to have a grouper that inhaled whole goldfish and guppies. Once going for a second one the first one swam out of his mouth. What’s the source of that picture? Was the frog bait? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/7 "2014-05-05T15:45:53Z")
I got it off today’s Chive humor/cheesecake site. [Thechive.com](http://Thechive.com) I think. They, like many similar ones, make image lists from other sources with no credit and stamp them as their own. You used to **have** a grouper? What, as a pet? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/8 "2014-05-05T15:49:33Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It doesn’t appear to have actually entered the fish’s stomach. And the cloudy eyes are probably due to it having raised its [nictitating membranes](http://o.quizlet.com/i/UFbIvgOGfE1KkaHsECxQ6Q_m.jpg) (semitransparent eyelids) to protect its eyes. Yes I thought of that (the stomach part, not the nictitating [if that’s a verb], for which I thank you), but I quickly thought of its inevitable destination. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/9 "2014-05-05T15:50:29Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > You used to **have** a grouper? What, as a pet? Yes. Along with other saltwater fish and invertebrates. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/10 "2014-05-05T15:56:17Z")
Timed out: > [@Colibri](#): > > It doesn’t appear to have actually entered the fish’s stomach. And the cloudy eyes are probably due to it having raised its [nictitating membranes](http://o.quizlet.com/i/UFbIvgOGfE1KkaHsECxQ6Q_m.jpg) (semitransparent eyelids) to protect its eyes. Yes I thought of that (the stomach part, not the nictitating [if that’s a verb], for which I thank you), but I quickly thought of its inevitable destination. And actually sort of realized with a bad sense what a slow death in acid might be, and hoped it had suffocated in the fish’s mouth. I’m saying “slow” because I think the acid is relatively weak, but still, you know, acid. Given my feelings, a situation where a super-strong acid would be fast would be less painful for the killed animal. Is my understanding of “slow” more or less correct? Are there situations where an overwhelming acid kills quickly (non protozoan death, etc.)? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/11 "2014-05-05T15:57:29Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Yes. Along with other saltwater fish and invertebrates. Huh. No offense. It took me years before I learned the carp I eat in Chinatown are goldfish. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/12 "2014-05-05T16:09:32Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Huh. No offense. It took me years before I learned the carp I eat in Chinatown are goldfish. Np. I figured “I used to have a grouper…” would raise questions. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/13 "2014-05-05T17:54:12Z")
Looks like the frog is smiling, to me. I think he and his partner are enjoying a tryst. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2014, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/14 "2014-05-06T04:18:46Z")
There was a snake killed by a centipede it had swallowed: [Centipede tears through viper's stomach after being swallowed alive on Macedonia's snake island | Metro News](http://metro.co.uk/2014/04/18/centipede-tears-through-vipers-stomach-after-being-swallowed-alive-4703217/) Did I see that here? Anyway, apparently prey can survive pretty long in stomachs. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2014, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/15 "2014-05-06T05:55:22Z")
Yes, that does look like a happy frog. Word around the campfire is that he jumped right out of the fish’s mouth after [posing for the picture.](http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/outposts/post/fisherman-discovers-live-frog-throat-fish/) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2014, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/16 "2014-05-06T06:49:44Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **The vast majority of animals in the wild suffer pretty brutal deaths.** Some may be killed quickly by predators, but others will be eaten alive, sometimes piecemeal. Perhaps they sometimes may go into shock and be relatively unaware of the pain, but I have no reason to suppose that death is usually painless. (Bold added.) And this differs from the fate of a great many humans . . . how? I read (possibly here on SDMB?) that even in hospitals, when a lot of people get down to their final moments, it is quite often quite gruesome. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2014, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/17 "2014-05-06T08:57:48Z")
But this froggie [didn’t.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=17352107&postcount=15) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2014, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/18 "2014-05-06T12:13:16Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I used to have a grouper that inhaled whole goldfish and guppies. Once going for a second one the first one swam out of his mouth. > > What’s the source of that picture? Was the frog bait? > [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > You used to **have** a grouper? What, as a pet? Am I the only one that thought of the Money Python skit when he said that? You’ve got a pet halibut? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2014, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/19 "2014-05-06T12:17:42Z")
When we lived in Texas, the local toads had a number of near-death experiences thanks to our not very bright spaniel. Bubba used to pick up toads and hold them in his mouth. The bad taste was convincing enough for him not to eat them, but he was reluctant to let them go. With coaxing, he’d eventually disgorge a soggy and unhappy toad, slightly the worse for wear.\* \*“My amphibious life flashed before my bug-eyes!” ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2014, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711/20 "2014-05-06T12:31:27Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Am I the only one that thought of the Money Python skit when he said that? Hell, I’m shocked it took 18 posts for it come up. I had my money on post #2. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowed-frog-how-did-it-does-it-die-i-think-its-dead-not-gross-but-unsettling-jpg/687711.md?page=2)