Creature Feature – Wood Frogs in Winter
Posted by Dustin Horton // October 4, 2019 // Articles, Creature Feature
The little wood frog burrows down beneath leaf litter on the forest floor as the cold weather arrives. There, it enters a state of “suspended animation” to endure the cold winter ahead. Its heart will stop beating, respiration ceases and the kidneys shut down. It literally freezes from the outside in; but because its body produces a glucose-based antifreeze, its organs remain protected, and its cells won’t dry out. In the spring, the wood frog thaws out and awakens. Incredible nature!
Article & photo by Margie Manthey
