Original photo by Jay Ondreicka/ Shutterstock
Frogs are found all across the world, but only one species lives as far north as the Arctic Circle: the wood frog. That might surprise anyone who’s seen the small, brownish amphibians in Alabama or Georgia, but these tiny creatures are as widespread as they are resilient. They've adapted to cold climates (including Alaska and the Northeast) by literally freezing during the winter, with their hearts no longer beating and their lungs no longer breathing air as they enter a kind of suspended animation. How, then, do they not die? By producing a sugary sort of antifreeze that keeps their actual cells from freezing — which would be lethal — even as the space between their cells does. They thaw out when temperatures rise in the spring, ready to live their best frog lives (read: mate) once again.
Oops, incorrect!
It's a factTrue toads are frogs, meaning they belong to the order Anura. Yet neither “toad” nor “frog” is a strict category with a solid taxonomic basis. People often use “frog” to refer to creatures with smooth, moist skin, while “toads” are more warty — but there are exceptions.
Most other animals in the Arctic are a little less surprising: polar bears, walruses, musk oxen, and other hardy creatures are well-suited to harsh conditions. None of them need to freeze in order to survive the winter, which only makes wood frogs more impressive. Their ability to make it through the season unscathed — which has been described as a biological miracle — also has to do with location. Wood frogs nestle on the leafy litter of the forest floor, hiding from potential predators and partially insulating themselves from the cold to come.
Numbers Don't Lie
More Interesting Reads
The wood frog’s scientific name is ______.
Ready to reveal?
Confirm your email to play the next question?
The wood frog’s scientific name is Lithobates sylvaticus.
The South Pole is much colder than the North Pole.
Though it may sound counterintuitive (since we often think of Southern climes as warmer), the South Pole is actually much colder than the North Pole. While the North Pole has an average summer temperature of a comparatively balmy 32 degrees Fahrenheit, at the South Pole it’s -18 degrees Fahrenheit. The difference is largely because much of the South Pole is 9,000 feet — about a mile and a half — above sea level, making Antarctica the world’s highest continent by a considerable margin and resulting in much colder temperatures due to the thinner atmosphere. The North Pole is smack dab in the middle of the Arctic Ocean (the world’s smallest), with its surface ice a mere foot or so above sea level.
Michael Nordine is a writer and editor living in Denver. A native Angeleno, he has two cats and wishes he had more.
