• widespread except prairies; disjunct population in Cypress Hills; only North American amphibian to cross the Arctic Circle - capable of converting glycogen to glucose in liver, an antifreeze mechanism.

Brief Description

• smallest of the true frogs in the province; prominent black or dark brown mask extending from snout to forelimb; distinct dorsolateral fold.

Habitat

• mainly terrestrial during non-breeding season; moist areas near streams, lakes, ponds, and marshy areas.

Feeding

• foraging on molluscs, insects, and other arthropods.

Reproduction

• breeding in April and May as soon as ice starts melting; in temporary ponds and small lakes; egg mass spherical with as many as 3,000 eggs; pectoral amplexus.

Status in Alberta

• GREEN LIST

Other Internet Resources

• wood frog: Amphibians of Alberta Page, Alberta Environmental Protection

• Rana sylvatica : The Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

• Rana sylvatica : An Introduction to the Natural History of Frogs and Toads of Ohio, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, OH, USA

• Rana sylvatica : Reptiles and Amphibians of North Dakota, Northern Prairie Science Center, Jamestown, ND, USA

References

• Anonymous. 1996. The status of Alberta wildlife. Wildlife Management Division Report. Alberta Environmental Protection, Govertment of Alberta.

• Russell, A. P., and A. M. Bauer. in press. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Alberta: A Field Guide and Primer of Boreal Herpetology. University of Calgary Press. 2nd Edition.