A Frog Riding a Beetle: Is This a Real Wildlife Photo or a Bunch of BS?

Photos of a frog riding a beetle have been flooding the Internet over the past month. Think it looks cute and adorable? Reactions to the series of photos have been split between blind praise and outrage over the authenticity of the photo-story and welfare of the subjects. So, did this scene really occur naturally as claimed? We don’t think so, and here’s why.

In compiling this article, we spoke to herpetologists (those who study amphibians and reptiles, including frogs and lizards), and particularly frog experts for their take on these photos. These are people who spent most of their lives studying frogs, and there are no better people who understand the anatomy and biology of frogs.

Question #1. Would the frog jump onto the beetle?
Giddy up! Photographer Hendy Mp captured this daring frog hop a ride on a beetle and it even stuck its front leg in the air cowboy-style. —Daily Mail

This frog, Rhacophorus sp., is nocturnal. In the day, it is not active and will not hop around, much less onto a beetle. Even if placed beside the beetle, it would remain indifferent to the beetle unless it were provoked or hurt… in which case, it would jump away rather than onto the beetle.