The most remarkable thing about wood frogs happens not in the summer when they transform from tadpoles to frogs, but in the winter when they hibernate

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2024-11-15 18:30:16

The most remarkable thing about wood frogs happens not in the summer when they transform from tadpoles to frogs, but in the winter when they hibernate.

The northern forests of Alaska and Canada have some of the most dramatic temperature ranges in the world. Summer days stretch to 24 hours and temperatures can climb into the 90’s. Winter brings some of the earth’s coldest temperatures: it is not unusual to have temperatures of minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Prospect Creek, just south of the Brooks Range, had the coldest temperature ever recorded in Alaska—minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Almost certainly, there were hibernating wood frogs near Prospect Creek when that record was set.

This is the winter world in which the wood frog must survive. Remember, frogs are cold blooded, so their body temperature is about the same as the surrounding air. How do these delicate little creatures endure the intense, protracted, iron-cold subarctic winter?

This mystery has intrigued scientists for a long time. Biologists have studied wood frog hibernation and what they’ve learned is truly astonishing.

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