Wood frog sighted on trail.
Observation from Daisy Huang:
10 years of walking this trail 2 days a week all summer, and this is the first time we've seen one! I reported it on my neighborhood watch group, though, and they said that they see them from time to time.
Comments from LEO Editors:
This observation has been forwarded to the Alaska Herpetological Society.
Wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) are a widespread species of amphibian in Alaska, ranging from Anaktuvik Pass to the Kobuk River valley in the north, to the lower Alaska Peninsula in the southwest. Wood frog populations are absent from Prince William Sound and are thought to have been transplanted on to Douglas Island in the southeast. These frogs are able to withstand the extreme cold of northern winters by pushing water out of there cells and organs in to other extracellular body cavities and organs, and pumping in a glucose antifreeze produced from the liver. This process allows the frogs to freeze during the winter and reanimate in the spring. In the spring, wood frogs will breed in available standing water, and the eggs will hatch approximately a week later. In late-July and August, small frogs will leave the water and begin feeding on land. As the temperatures begin to lower, the frogs will prepare for hibernation under layers of dried vegetation, and eventually freeze over winter. Source: Alaska Department of Fish and Game Frogs and Toads, Alaska Herpetological Society Wood Frog Species Pamphlet Erica Lujan
