Wood Frog

The Wood Frog is an amphibian that is very easy to distinguish because of its coloring.  They are found in the United States and in Alaska.

What Does the Wood Frog Look Like?

The Wood Frog is very easy to distinguish because of the marks on its face.  The marks across the Wood Frogs eyes looks like a black mask.  Its body is brown, green, gray or even red.

The female Wood Frog will have a brighter colored body than the male.  Most of the Wood Frogs will get between 1.5 inches to 3.25 inches long.

Where Does the Wood Frog Live?

The Wood Frog is used to cold weather and they have adapted to being cold.  During the winter, they stop breathing and their heart will stop beating.  This allows them to go to a very low temperature without dying.

The Wood Frog also has something in their body that is an antifreeze substance, and this stops the frog from having their bodies to be frozen.  Even though ice will form on the Wood Frogs body, they will thaw out and begin feeding and mating with other frogs again.

Since the Wood Frog is used to the cold, it is found in places like Alaska, the Northeast, the Arctic Circle and other cold areas.  This frog has learned to live in cold climates like other animals from the Arctic Circle.

During the winter months, adult Wood Frogs will usually find a bunch of leaves or other forest debris to hide in.  They will stay there so that they can hide from their predators.

What Do Wood Frogs Eat? 

Wood Frogs will eat things like spiders, slugs, snails, worms and other insects.  They will also eat algae and plant matter if they are a tadpole or a larva.  They will also eat the larvae of other amphibians that are found in the water.

What are the Wood Frogs Predators?

The predators of the wood frog are snapping turtle, skunks, birds, coyotes, foxes, snakes and other animals.  The tadpoles of the Wood Frog also have to face being eaten by salamanders, wood turtles, beetles and other Wood Frogs.

Finding a Mate

The Wood Frogs start looking for a mate in March and they do this by making a sound that sounds like a duck quacking.  When the female hears this, she will go to the frog.

The female Wood Frog can lay up to 3,000 eggs and they will hatch within 30 days.

It takes a Wood Frog up to two years to become an adult Wood Frog.

How Long Does a Wood Frog Live?

Most Wood Frogs will live up to three years, but some will die much sooner than that.

Facts About Wood Frogs:

• Wood Frogs are the easiest species of frog to recognize.
• Tadpoles will group with other tadpoles that are their siblings.
• Wood Frogs can recognize their own family members.
• Some of the Wood Frogs have lost their homes due to farming and building.
• Wood Frogs are studied by scientists because they are able to freeze and still live.
• Wood Frogs have been found in an area called the Medicine Bow National Forest.
• Wood Frogs lay their eggs in freshwater areas.
• Even though Wood Frogs spend most of their lives in the forest, when it is wintertime, they will migrate to the uplands.
• Wood Frogs are diurnal which means they are usually only out in the daytime.

What Did You Learn?

• What is a Wood Frog?  A Wood Frog is a frog that is very easy to recognize because of its mask like feature around its eyes.
• What does the Wood Frog eat? The Wood Frog eats other frogs, insects, small animals.
• What is special about the Wood Frog? The Wood Frog can live in arctic temperatures and still live.  They are studied by scientists because of their ability to do this.
• Where do Wood Frogs live? Most Wood Frogs live in forest areas in the cold regions such as the Arctic Circle and in Alaska.
• How long do Wood Frogs live? Wood Frogs only live to about 3 years old.