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4. When cold
Short temperatures come,
the frog burrows
Read under leaves.
FROZEN

ALIVE

1 Many animals in North America live in cold
regions with harsh winters. There’s no universal
way to survive the cold. Some animals have warm
fur. Others burrow into the ground to hibernate.

However, nature gave the wood frog a different—and
stranger—survival plan. It is a survival strategy that
biologist Sonya Olla describes as “straight out of a

science fiction movie!”

2 Olla has studied wood frogs for five years. She
says in many ways these frogs are like other
species, or kinds, of frogs. In spring, they start
their life span as eggs. The eggs soon hatch

into tadpoles. The tadpoles live in water and
breathe through gills, like fish.

3 The tadpole’s growth is speedy. They soon
grow four legs, and their tails disappear. They

also develop lungs so they can breathe on land. 3. The tadpole
forms legs and
At this point, they’ve become adult frogs. loses its tail. It is
now an adult frog.
4 Then comes winter, and that’s when things get
strange. “Freezing is deadly to most animals,” Olla
says. “But for the wood frog, freezing is a good thing.”

5 “First, the wood frog burrows under dead leaves,” Olla
explains. “However, this doesn’t protect it from the cold.
Something interesting happens in the frog’s cells.”

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