A tiny frog struck up an unlikely friendship with a giant African land snail after clambering onto its shell to catch a ride. Photographer Hendy Mp, 25, captured the unusual antics in the woods near his home in Sambas, Indonesia, and sat just 30cm away from the friendly pair while they played.

Why the frog will opt for a ride is inexplicable, because frogs move far much faster. According to the book, Frogs: The Animal Answer Guide by herpetologists Mike Dorcas and Whit Gibbons (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011):

“Many frogs can jump at least 30 times their body length, and some smaller species of tree frogs can jump 50 times their length. This is the human equivalent of jumping the length of a football field without a running start. Some frogs in the genus Rhacophorus, flying or gliding frogs of Asia, can go even longer distances. These frogs have webbed toes that they use as parachutes to slow their fall and glide from one tree to the next, or to the ground. Jumping helps frogs avoid predators; the skeletons of some species are modified to absorb the shock when they land. Not all frogs are long jumpers. The narrow mouth toads of the southeast and or the Mexican burrowing toad can only hop a few inches.”

In contrast, a snail will take 132 hours to cross a mile.

(Photo source:chinanews.com)

In the wild wild world: a frog cozy up to a snail

Frog, an amphibian, known for jumping, hitches a ride on a snail. a mollusk.Photo Xinhua