Vertebrate Zoology

Herpetology

Online Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of Connecticut

Wood Frog
Rana sylvatica

Amphibia: Frogs and Toads | Salamanders
Reptilia: Turtles | Snakes | Lizards
Division of Vertebrate Zoology | Herpetology

Description

The coloration of this 2- to 3-inch (5- to 7.6-cm) frog is an adaptation for blending with the leaves on the forest floor. Dorsal coloration ranges from gray, to pinkish, to nearly rusty orange. A brown patch extends from the eye to the tympanum. A dorsolateral ridge extends from the tympanum to the pelvis.

Reproduction

Among the first frogs to breed in the spring. They lay their egg masses attached to submerged twigs in vernal pools in woodlands. The eggs hatch within a few days. Metamorphosis is relatively fast.

At left, wood frog tadpole.

Vocalization

Listen

Habitat

Moist woodlands, usually with oak, beech and maple trees.

Food

Small invertebrates.

Range

Found throughout Connecticut.

Status

Common, though habitat loss and pollution may prove detrimental.

References

Conant, R. and J.T. Collins. 1991. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern/Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 450 pp.

Klemens, M.W. 1993. Amphibians and Reptiles of Connecticut and Adjacent Regions. Hartford, CT: State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut Bulletin 112. 318 pp.

Credits

Text by Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell.
Photographs © Twan Leenders. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Animals featured in photographs on this page are from Connecticut.

Audio files from The Calls of Frogs and Toads [book and CD-ROM]
Published March 2004 by Stackpole Books; 1.800.732.3669.
© 1994 Lang Elliott/NatureSound Studio
http://www.naturesound.com/stackpole/frogs.html
All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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