Creature Feature: Frogsicle?

In Creature Feature for tweens Jackie Hurst, our Bookmobile Creaturist, spotlights cool animals.

Have you ever wondered how a tree frog survives this cold weather?

They actually freeze!

Yep, that’s right! Their bodies produces large amounts of glycerol, which is changed into glucose, and then sent to the frogs' cells to stop ice crystals from forming. Sorta like antifreeze. If the crystals were able to form, their cells would actually blow up!

The rest of the fluids in the frog’s body freeze and its heartbeat and breathing stop! Can you say living dead? When the weather warms up, they thaw, and then eat lots of bugs. Cool, huh?

​Want to learn more? Check out Frogs!: Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle. Do you know the difference between a frog and a toad? Get your mitts on Can You Tell a Frog from a Toad? by Buffy Silverman and find out. And go on this fun adventure: Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom by Tim Byrd.