Ever wonder where frogs go and what they do when it gets cold? Me either, until several of the friendly little amphibians took up residence in our new goldfish pond. Now, I stay up nights worrying about what frogs do in the winter, that and wondering if I remembered to put the roast back in the refrigerator.
Here’ what I discovered about frogs in cold weather.
Frogs are cold blooded. That means their own body temperatures take on whatever temperature it is around them. If it’s 50 degrees outside, the frogs will be 50 degrees. And if it freezes, they do too.
But during winter, frogs go into a state of hibernation where they turn back their body-clocks to almost zero. Aquatic frogs, like leopard frogs and bull frogs, sort of sink down to the bottom of a pond and literally chill out. In fact, if the pond freezes, so do the frogs. Literally. While ice crystals normally would puncture cells and organs, frogs have super-high concentrations of sugar – glucose – a natural anti-freeze. At that point, their hearts stop beating and they look to all the world like they’re dead. But they are just playing possum. When spring arrives and things warm up, the frogs actually thaw out. Their hearts start beating again, their lungs resume their function and the frogs come back to life.
So now you won’t have to stay up nights anymore worrying about frogs, just the stuff that should have gone in the refrigerator.