Home >> Science & Nature >> Nature

Hibernating Frogs in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is home to 16 native species of frogs and toads. Frogs and toads are cold-blooded, meaning that when the temperature gets too cold, their bodies shut down. This allows them to hibernate. All frogs and toads find some way to hibernate in the winter months, whether it's in a soft river bed, under the soil or even by freezing completely solid.

Eastern American Toad
- Toads are in the same family as frogs, but are notably different because of their rough, bumpy skin and the fact that they spend their time in drier areas. When the weather turns cold in Pennsylvania, the eastern American toad uses its back legs to burrow into the soil until it is below the frost line. They usually hibernate all winter, from October to March.
Spring Peeper
- The spring peeper is a common frog in Pennsylvania and one of the first species that comes out of hibernation every year. The spring peeper does not burrow to hibernate, but instead finds a protected shelter and allows itself to freeze completely solid.
North American Wood Frog
- The North American wood frog, along with the spring peeper, it is one of the first frogs to come out of hibernation in the spring each year. Also like the spring pepper, the wood frog can freeze in the winter. Both frog species are able to do this by producing glucose and storing it in their cells, which acts as an antifreeze that prevents cells from freezing.
Leopard Frogs
- Leopard frogs are one of the most common frog species in Pennsylvania, and they hibernate in bodies of water. The leopard frog burrows in the soft mud at the bottom of ponds, rivers or lakes. However, unlike turtles that remain completely buried, frogs cannot slow their metabolism down enough to stop needing oxygen. Therefore, the leopard frog must stay on top of the mud for some of the winter or stay in oxygen-rich water.

Nature