Pond Frogs Surviving Hornet Stings Raises Hopes for Understanding Venom Resistance

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:21 JST, December 6, 2025

A research team led by Prof. Shinji Sugiura at Kobe University announced in an academic journal on Thursday that they confirmed the black-spotted pond frog can prey on hornets and survive being stung by them. Understanding the mechanism behind this venom tolerance could prove useful in suppressing pain and other forms of harm caused by venom.

Hornet venom can cause intense pain, tissue damage, destruction of red blood cells and cardiac dysfunction, sometimes killing small animals like mice. While birds and spiders are known to prey on hornets, carcasses have also been found in the stomachs of pond frogs.

The research team provided wild pond frogs with one hornet each. In the test, 43 of 45 pond frogs attacked the hornets, with 37 successfully consuming them. Despite repeatedly receiving stings to the face, throat and inside the mouth, they were not killed or debilitated.

It is thought mechanisms such as detoxification and insensitivity to pain may be at work. Sugiura, who specializes in ecology, said, “If we can elucidate the mechanism, it could potentially contribute to research on relief from pain and inflammation.”