It burrows underground and surrounds itself in a transparent cocoon made of its own shed skin. Photo courtesy of Dr. Kenneth Storey. Like all amphibians, frogs are cold-blooded, meaning that their body temperatures change with the temperature of their surroundings. When temperatures drop, some frogs dig burrows underground or in the mud at the bottom of ponds. They hibernate in these burrows until spring, perfectly still and scarcely breathing.
Wood frogs can live north of the Arctic Circle, surviving for weeks in a frozen limbo state.
This frog uses glucose in its blood as a kind of antifreeze that concentrates in its vital organs, protecting them from damage while the rest of the body freezes solid. Frogs have a reputation for leaping that is well deserved. Launched by their long legs, many frogs can leap up to twenty times their body length. The longest frog jump on record was made by a frog named Santjie at a frog derby held in South Africa. Santjie bested the competition with a jump of 33 feet 5.5 inches.