Fisherman stunned after frog leaps into his net and swallows his fish

A fisherman was left stunned when a courageous frog jumped into his net - and swallowed his catch whole.

The frog had been lying in wait for the fisherman to get a bite before pouncing on the fish in his homemade net.

Amateur fisherman Valery Krugersky, 49, was indulging his hobby in a lake just outside the city of Chernigov, Ukraine.

Cheeky: The six-inch frog sits on Valery Krugersky's net after leaping into it and swallowing his catch whole
The father-of-two uses an old curtain as a makeshift net and was shocked to see the frog jump out of the water to steal his catch.

The frog, which was about six inches long, ate the fish whole and then sat in the net smugly digesting its meal.

All the unlucky Mr Krugersky could do was capture the amazing scene with his camera.

Mr Krugersky, an engineer, said: 'I have seen a big pike jump in the net and eat the fish before but never a frog.

Swamped: The brave amphibian begins to tackle its meal after emerging from the lake water

Hop to it: Before Mr Krugersky could react the frog had swooped on his catch and gobbled it down
'There were a lot of frogs in the lake making loads of noise and one of the frogs jumped in the net and swallowed the fish in a matter of seconds.

'I left the net in the lake and the frog just sat inside it for a long time making some noise.

'It's a pity that the fish was eaten but I never interfere with nature - all I could do was just take some pictures of what was happening.'

Chernigov is a town in northern Ukraine. It is surrounded by a network of rivers and lakes that are very popular with fishermen.
Frogs are carnivorous and usually feed on insects, molluscs and worms but are also capable of eating small fish and even birds.