John Schandelmeier:The strange life of Alaska frogs in winter
OutdoorsBy John SchandelmeierJanuary 6, 2014   January is a
rather strange time to be thinking about frogs in Alaska.
However, I crossed a small open creek while traveling with the
dog team a few days ago and frogs came to mind. As a kid growing
up, I used to catch frogs and tadpoles from a pond near our
house. I'd bring them home to live in jars and tubs for a week
or so. I never could figure out why they wouldn't eat mosquitoes
out of my hand. The ponds where these small frogs lived in the
early spring always dried up and the frogs were gone.
Occasionally I'd find one hopping in the woods during the summer
but by moose season they were all gone. Where did they go?  Our
Alaska frogs are wood frogs. They don't go anywhere in winter.
They stay in the leaf litter on the ground and freeze solid. The
little frogs' hearts stop and they quit breathing. Spring comes
and they warm up and get on with life. That's a lot cheaper than
a trip to Hawaii. They c