![]() Wood Frogs primarily forage in forest habitats and they hibernate under leaf litter on the forest floor. They may also breed in flooded ditches, road ruts, ponds and shallow bays of lakes. Wood Frogs breed in shallow (less than 1 m deep), fish-free ephemeral (temporary) wetlands within forested areas. The Wood Frog is closely associated with deciduous and boreal forests, but this species is also found north of the tree line in the tundra. The Wood Frog occurs throughout the northeastern United States and there are small, isolated populations in Colorado, Wyoming and northern Idaho. Unlike most North American frogs, the majority of this species’ distribution is in Canada. It is absent from most of Nunavut except the southern tip of the territory and is also absent from the island of Newfoundland (but present in Labrador). The Wood Frog is the most widely distributed amphibian in North America and is found in every province and territory in Canada. In western Canada, Columbia Spotted Frogs, Oregon Spotted Frogs and Northern Red-legged Frogs can all have a dark mask but none of these species have a white underside. ![]() In eastern Canada there are no other frogs with both a mask and dorsolateral folds. The Wood Frog’s call is a series of clucks. The larvae may reach lengths of 6.5 cm before metamorphosis. Larvae are uniformly dark grey to dark brown with a faint, light-coloured stripe along the upper jaw and they have a light-coloured belly. Larvae (tadpoles) have long tails with a large fin and lack front legs (newly hatched tadpoles are legless). Wood Frogs may also have pronounced dark bars on the rear legs, a small amount of black mottling on the sides and a light-coloured stripe down the back. ![]() Individuals are reddish-brown, tan or dark brown and have a dark mask around the eyes, a white stripe on the upper lip, prominent dorsolateral folds (folds of skin running down each side of the back), and a white belly that may be tinged with yellow or green. The Wood Frog is a medium-sized frog that can grow to 8 cm in body length. Click for more images Wood Frog Lithobates sylvaticus Family: Ranidae COSEWIC status: ![]()
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