Ah, the lovely song of the wood frog orchestra means that spring is finally here!
Wood Frog
The wood frog is a small brown, tan and rust-colored frog that sports a full eye mask.
The frog lives in a variety of moist locations, like around ponds, in moist, cool forests, and woodland wetlands.
Frogs can grow up to 3 inches long, with the females being the largest of the species.
General Information
Common Name: | Wood Frog |
Scientific Name: | Lithobates sylvaticus or Rana sylvatica |
Size: | 2.0 to 2.8 inches in length |
Habitat | Bogs, freshwater wetlands: woodlands |
Food: | Plant matter and small invertebrates |
If you are out in the late afternoon through the night time hours during the spring, the frogs sing a beautiful chorus. This is the mating chorus.
Wood Frog Chorus Video
Breeding
In the spring the frogs emerge from the topsoil surface and the male’s start sings their mating songs.
The female selects the male she would like to mate with. The male clasps onto her forearms and mating begin.
Females deposit their eggs in standing pools of water, not in ponds or streams to decrease the chances of predators reaching the eggs and also for the standing water to have a controlled temperature.
By breeding in early spring, it decreases the chance of the pools of water drying up before complete metamorphosis takes place