Wood Frogs, Baby!!

The time of year has come again. :)  The Wood Frogs are back!  Spring is here!  In case you didn't know, Wood frogs are badasses.  Their cells contain an antifreeze compound, and during winter hibernation in Alaska, when all the interstitial spaces (fluid and spaces between cells) in their bodies freeze solid, their cells remain intact.  When spring comes, they literally thaw out and start crawling around again.  Their first priority:  Breeding.  Check them out at this link, for some brief info:  Wood Frog info here :) (Thanks, NWF)

Last week, we went down to the airstrip and found ice still all over the ponds.  A few days later, it was open water, but nothing.  Tonight, the frenzy was on!!!  Each spring, the wood frogs crawl out of wherever it is they hide all the bitter winter long, mate like crazy for a matter of days, and then, Poof!...they're gone.  Gone as in, you won't hear another frog chirp all summer long...or fall...they just crawl back to whatever rock, log, mud, or wherever it is they came from.  It's awesome, and we have come to really enjoy the little buggers.  Last year we caught a mating pair, then raised the eggs and tadpoles in one of the classroom aquariums.  We won't be doing that this year, but it is still fun chasing the adults and (soon) the tadpoles, once they emerge here shortly.  Here's some pics!

First, the reason for all this mayhem:  The eggs that will become the young of the year...

So, the congregating goes something like this.  The females, who are bigger than the males, will have one (or several) suitor (s) grab on to her and get carried around on her back for while until mating occurs, and then the eggs will be laid and fertilized.  This creates quite a spectacle, as you have a bunch of males sitting around calling, and then some females carrying a bunch of piggybacking males around.  Here's some more shots:

Here is a shot of Warren and I surveying the scene for potential targets...in this case, it is the flooded meadow at the end of the old (unused) airstrip.

What we were looking at:   See any frogs?.....       Oh, Yes.  Yes, you do...

And here is the first Jing image of the post... Same image, but this is what I meant by "Yes you do." And yes, each arrow IS in fact pointing to a frog. :)  More Jing later...

Here are some close ups of some of the mating clusters:

Here is a cluster with extra potential suitors nearby, just waiting for their chance...or maybe they're just taking a break...

Here is another indication of just how dense the congregations are.  This attendance stretches as far as the water goes.

And just in case you missed any... :)  (There are 15.....at least...)

Last, but definitely not least, a couple shots of the boys enjoying the heck out of it all, as usual.

We may be crazy, but this is fun stuff!!  Wood Frogs ROCK!