Wood Frog

Rana sylvatica

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The Wood frog is common through the northern two thirds of the state of Wisconsin and found in pockets in the southern portion of the state where forest canopies remain intact. The Wood frog gets its name from its habit of being most often found on land in wooded areas, rather than in water although it is a true frog.


Wood frogs are usually tan but can vary into grays, reds and nearly black. They have the dorsal fold which is often a yellow or tan color. The black face mask is the most common identification feature.

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The Wood frog has migration ranges that can be several hundreds of meters between breeding pools and wintering uplands. 80% of the young who survive to adulthood return to their pools of origin to lay their eggs. The other 20% seem to find new spots to reproduce and some genetic testing has found relationships between Wood frogs more than a kilometer apart.

Wood frogs tend to breed in small meltwater depressions that are free of fish and other predators. They have a very short breeding window lasting from the last frost of spring and around 2 weeks long.


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All pictures taken June 26, 2008.


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