Wood Frog

Dear Lilliputian ,

This is a Wood Frog . They are one of the first sounds I hear in the Spring . Many Wood Frogs gather in a body of water and sing their song . I usually hear them during the day and they seem quiet during the night . During the day many people think that the pond or vernal pool has been visited by many ducks because of the quacking noise the Wood Frog makes . 

 As with most animals in the Spring this Frog is swimming around looking for a mate . The very funny thing about it is that he can't tell the difference between a boy Frog and a girl Frog . He has to swim over to the Frog he sees and hug it . Only then can he tell . Do you know why he can tell when he hugs the other Frog ? It is because when he hugs the other Frog he can feel that the girl Frog has eggs in her stomach and a boy Frog does not . Silly Frog . 

Did you know that the Wood Frog can live in the Arctic ? He survives the very cold temperatures of the far North by becoming a frozen Frog . If you saw him when he was frozen he would look like a frog shaped piece of ice . When Spring comes to the Arctic and the temperature warms up so does the Wood Frog . He thaws out and hops and swims around just like he did last summer . I think that is just incredible !

Now remember I told you that the Wood Frog can't tell the difference between the boy or girl Wood Frog unless he hugs them .... Well ,  because you and I are not a Wood Frog, we can tell the difference. I will tell you the secret that the Wood Frog doesn't know ... if you look at the Frogs thumb you can tell . The girl Wood Frog has a skinny thumb and the boy Wood Frog has a chubby thumb . Look at the picture up above and see if you can tell . 

( If you click on the photo above it will become bigger. )

Listen to the chorus of Wood Frogs by clicking on the link below .

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/Amphibians/Wood%20Frog/rana_sylvatica_chorus.aiff

Of course you have read the book Frog and Toad Are Friends , but have you read Frog and Toad Together , and Frog and Toad All Year ...  by Arnold Lobel ?

Until next time ,

Wildbee