Wood Frog
Lithobates sylvaticus
Summary 5
The wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus or Rana sylvatica) has a broad distribution over North America, extending from the Boreal forest of Canada and Alaska to the southern Appalachians. The wood frog has garnered attention by biologists over the last century because of its freeze tolerance, relatively great degree of terrestrialism (for a ranid), interesting habitat associations (peat bogs, vernal pools, uplands), and relatively long-range movements.
Adult wood frogs spend summer months in moist woodlands, forested swamps, ravines, or bogs. During the fall, they leave summer habitats and migrate to neighboring uplands to overwinter. Some may remain in moist areas to overwinter. By overwintering in uplands adjacent to breeding pools, adults ensure a short migration to thawed pools in early spring. Wood frogs are mostly diurnal and are rarely seen at night, except maybe in breeding choruses. They are one of the first amphibians to emerge for breeding right when the snow melts, along with spring peepers.
In the Reservation, you can hear Wood Frog mating calls for a few weeks in early spring just after sunset in the area around the Wildflower Preserve.
Fontes e Créditos
- (c) ricmartin, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC)
- (c) Jack Illingworth, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/36812039@N00/195355158
- (c) Anders Holder, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Anders Holder
- (c) Brian Gratwicke, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY), http://www.flickr.com/photos/19731486@N07/5899261066
- Adaptado por Tom Pollard de uma obra de (c) Wikipedia, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithobates_sylvaticus
