A mouse bit a venomous viper to death after it was thrown into the snake's cage as a lunchtime snack.

The tiny rodent killed the snake after a fierce 30-minute battle, emerging with "barely a scratch on him", according to on person who saw the fight.

Firefighters in Taiwan who were looking after the snake - which had been found in a local resident's home - thought that the live mouse would make a perfect lunchtime treat.

But the furry creature had other ideas. Instead of cowering from the 12in snake's gaping jaws and long fangs, it went on the offensive.

"It attacked the snake continuously, biting and scratching it," one firefighter said.

Viper venom is poisonous for mice, but the snake proved unable to land a killer bite.

"Perhaps it used up all its venom when we caught it but the mouse barely had a scratch on him," said Lan Sengqiu, the leader of the fire team in Nantoun.

Vipers, which have jaws that can open to a 180 degree angle, usually use their venom to immobilise or kill their prey. The poison, which is injected through their hollow fangs, paralyses the nervous system and causes internal bleeding.

Vipers are one of the most widespread species of snake in the world, and their adder sub-species is the only poisonous reptile found in the UK.
[link to www.telegraph.co.uk]