The Party Crasher (Didelphis marsupialis, Rhinella acutirostris), Reserva La Isla Escondida, Putumayo, Colombia

Deep in the rainforests of Colombia, I followed the rhythmic song of the South American Common Toad to find a bacchanal. Several males called around me, several more jockeyed for place atop a lone female. They fought for over ten minutes, while she unsuccessfully tried to moor herself to a floating leaf. Suddenly, an uninvited creature appeared in my viewfinder. In an instant, a Southern Opossum picked up the whole pile! The males never loosened their grip even as they were carried to their doom. The Party Crasher devoured her quarry beside the orgiastic pool, and struck twice more before I departed. All the while, the other (un?)lucky males continued to call unabated, seemingly oblivious to the carnage. Such is the price of toadly love.