Jan Giovinazzo, 71, from Surrey was settling down to enjoy her fruit when she noticed the the small amphibian staring right back at her.
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“I religiously check for spiders whenever I buy bananas,” said the pensioner.
However, what she found was certainly no spider.
“I was walking over to the sink to peel it when I noticed something on it. I looked down and thought ‘What the hell is that?’
“Looking closer I realised it was a tiny frog.”
Jan rushed to the internet to try and identify the critter, which she believes is a Reed frog from the Ivory Coast. A claim bolstered by the fact that the bananas say they were grown there too.
If correctly identified, the little frog must have had the journey of its life travelling the 3,200 miles from the west African country to the Lidl in Epson, Surrey.
“It’s not quite what I was expecting.
“I’ve got to say it was very cute,” she says, adding that he was very “sleepy”.
After the initial shock, Jan placed the amphibian in a little box “to keep him warm” and called the RSPCA.
“I kept him by the radiator all night and he survived,” she explains.
“As I said he was cute but it is actually illegal to release a non-native species into the outside world.”
As for the bananas themselves, Jan admits: “I’ve gone off them now.”
Ironically, Lidl bananas come with the Rainforest Alliance logo on them – which is a symbol of a little frog – to prove they are sustainably grown.
Jan took to social media to share her bizarre find with other shoppers from the supermarket.
A fellow Lidl shopper said: “I’m surprised they didn’t charge you for it.”
“Yay. Free pet frog with every bunch of bananas is much better than Waitrose,” another joked.
“This story is ribberting” and “Froget about it” offered others.
Another customer wrote: “This is so much better than the crappy toy you used to get at the bottom of the cereal box.”
“Extra protein. Bon appetit darling,” said one more.
The frog was collected from Jan’s home by the RSPA and is now spending time in quarantine before it is rehomed.
Lidl and the RSPCA have been reached for comment.
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