Wood Frog – Rana Sylvatica

Distinguishing Features – Medium-sized frog. Overall colouration, highly variable: gray, brown, reddish brown or rust. Upperside may be plain or mottled with black or brown. A black mask is always present over the eyes. Sometimes a white or light colored middorsal stripe is present. The underside is light, rarely with dark mottling. A white line is noticeable along the upper lip. Hind legs may have black bars which may be dark or faint. Distinct folds along the length of the back, which may be light or dark, have black dots and dashes or may be clear.

Size

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up to 63.5 cm (2.5 in)

Habitat

Found throughout Northwestern Ontario in and around woodlands, as their name implies; frequent in heavily timbered, boggy forests; also around grasslands in marshes surrounded by woodland.

Breeding

Wood frogs emerge right after the thaw and begin breeding as soon as they reach the ponds. The breeding season lasts two weeks at the longest. Females lay a floating cluster of nearly 1,000 eggs, often at one end of the pond creating a huge mat of eggs which may help protect the inner clusters from predators such as leeches and aquatic insect larvae. The tadpoles morph in 1-1/2 to 2 months.

Notes

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Wood frogs search for and eat small invertebrates in moist heavy forests. They take shelter under leaf litter and rely upon camouflage for defense.

During winter months, they hibernate under rocks or logs and partially freeze like the Spring Peeper.