Venomous snake chases frog into beer can and both get stuck, Australia rescuer says

Red-bellied black snakes are among Australia’s most intimidating venomous reptiles, so there’s something irreverent about one getting its head stuck in a beer can.

It happened in Brighton, Queensland, and photos shared by Brisbane North Snake Catchers and Relocation show the snake was found blindly sliding around with its head in a can of Victoria Bitter.

Victoria Bitter bills itself as “full strength and thirst quenching beer for the harsh Australian climate.”

However, the flavor apparently had nothing to do with it.

“This fella was hunting a marsh frog that was in the can when it ended up stuck,” Brisbane North Snake Catchers wrote in a Nov. 21 Facebook post. “I estimate this guy was stuck for a couple days like this.”

So how do you get a beer can off a snake’s head without being bitten?

A pair of metal shears proved to be the only viable solution, with the snake catcher holding the snake’s neck with one hand and whittling away at the can with the other.

Video shared on Facebook shows it took almost three minutes and required the snake catcher’s fingers to be within an inch of the snake’s mouth.

The frog was quickly discover to be dead in the can. The snake was still very much alive, however, with just minor cuts to the neck.

It was set to be released back into the wild, after getting ”some rest,” the company said.

The rescue video has been viewed thousands of times since being posted Nov. 21, with some calling it “nerve wracking to watch.”

Red-bellied black snakes are not only venomous but they’re also known to “hang on and chew savagely,” according to the Australian Museum.

“I would have been terrified,” Avon Hanley wrote.

Others couldn’t help but see a bit of humor in the predicament and joked there’s “nothing more Aussie than” finding a venomous snake stuck in a beer can.

“Red belly gettin stuck into the VB’s?! No wonder they’re so angry,” Andrew Ross wrote.

“I bet the snake had a headache,” Kay A. Spalding said.

“You can get it sleeping on a log. You can get it catching a frog, a hard earned thirst needs a big cold beer, and the best cold beer is Vic,” Craig Kapernick posted.

This story was originally published November 22, 2022 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Venomous snake chases frog into beer can and both get stuck, Australia rescuer says."