Wood Frog

​
Rana sylvatica

Identifying Features:

• 2 to 2.5 inches long; dark mask through its eye and a white stripe on the upper lip.
• Fairly common in wooded habitats.
• Adults are rarely found in water except during breeding.
• Will migrate across open areas to reach suitable breeding ponds, but otherwise remain under tree canopy.
• Hibernate on land beneath loose soil, leaf litter, or decaying logs.  They can survive sub-freezing temperatures by making large amounts of glucose. This causes ice to form in the extra-cellular spaces rather than within the body cells.​
  
• Tadpoles approaching metamorphosis develop poison glands to repel aquatic insect predators. Their biggest threat, however, is ponds drying before transformation is complete.
  
• Adults have toxic skin secretions, which repel shrews, but not snakes, other amphibians or birds.
  

Call

• Squawking, duck-like call.

Breeding

• Vernal ponds, floodings, wooded swamps, and backwaters are used for breeding. 
• Breeding season is usually only 1-2 weeks long, in mid to late March or early April.
• Females deposit from 500 to over 3000 eggs in one or many gelatinous masses. These are usually attached to plant stems ​or twigs near the surface. 
• It is common for more than one frog to lay eggs in the same spot. This helps maintain moisture and temperatures and reduce predation.

Development

• Egg incubation ​depends on how hot or cold it is, ranging from four days to four weeks.  Transformation occurs in 6-15 weeks.
• Large numbers of froglets disperse into the​ woods from late May through early July.
• Males reach sexual maturity in 1-2 years, females in 2-3 years.

Habitat Type​

• Permanent wetlands.
• Forests.