Wood Frogs Breeding
A pair of Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) breeding in an ephemeral pool (vernal pool). The male is in its breeding color, which varies from brown to blue gray. The females are always larger than the males, and they are less than two inches long. The male Wood Frog approaches a female from behind, and clasps her with his front legs, behind her front legs, and then he hooks a digit on each front foot together in a hold called “amplexus” which is continued until the female deposits the eggs. When the female deposits her eggs the male fertilizes them. The deposited eggs attached to submerged substrate, typically vegetation, or downed branches. Most commonly, females deposit eggs adjacent to other egg masses, creating large aggregations of egg masses.