Meet the Frogsicle: The North American Frog That Stays Completely Frozen During the Winter

We’ve heard of popsicles, but what about frogsicles? Well, we don’t recommend eating the latter kind. However, we can assure you that frogsicles are a real thing for the wood frog in North America. Let’s see how they become frozen but still stay alive!

Watch the Incredible Video Below!

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Wood Frog Sighting in North America

The next YouTube short video posted above this section takes us to North America. Where we see the wood frog, which is also known as the frogsicle, this video was filmed and then shared on the Nature Lens YouTube channel. They have received more than 442 million views on their educational videos about animals. They share animals such as woodpeckers, rams, horses, seals, anteaters, billfishes, rhinos, and manned wolves, to list a few. 

Meet the Frog That Stays Frozen During the Winter

At the start of this video, we hear the Narrator, who states, “Wood frogs don’t hibernate like some other animals, instead, they allow themselves to freeze solid.” 

For this to successfully happen, the frog’s hearts will stop beating, and that’s where the term “frogsicle” came to light. 

The narrator continues, “They have a natural antifreeze in their bodies that prevents ice crystals from forming inside their cells, which keeps their organs and tissues from getting damaged.” These wood frogs can remain frozen for the majority of the year at 8 months! 

And once the weather warms up, the frogs dethaw, for lack of a better term, and then they go about their lives as though nothing has happened to them for the last eight months! Incredible, isn’t it? They will often head straight for the water, where it is warm due to the springtime, and mate with other frogs and then lay their eggs. 

Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) Facts

Wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) of the genus Lithobates are frogs that are solely found in North America. They are considered by IUCN to be the least concern for their population status. 

The wood frog is small, weighing only about 0.28 ounces and reaching 1.5-3 inches in length. These frogs are carnivores that prey on insects, slugs, worms, arachnids, and snails. 

Given how small this frog is, they have a variety of predators such as snakes, raccoons, herons, skunks, minks, and, yes, even larger frogs. However, during their frozen status, they are known to take shelter. Perhaps these predators like frogsicles, or perhaps this is the very thing keeping the wood frog population going strong!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Marek Mierzejewski/Shutterstock.com