Frogs are representatives of the order of amphibians. These animals have developed an amazing mechanism of adaptation to climatic conditions and thus have spread throughout the globe, from the subtropics to the polar lands.
Dormant life
The wintering process is the same for all species of tailless amphibians. As soon as they feel the approach of cold weather, they immediately begin to prepare for it.
Ground frogs prefer to winter in soil, fallen leaves, or in deep crevices. First, the animal looks for a comfortable place to sleep. Some representatives, for example, American toads, bury themselves deep in the ground, below the level of freezing of the soil and arrange a small mink for themselves, scientifically - hibernakulum.
Gradually, with the slowing down of life processes, the body of the animal becomes covered with mucus, which soon forms a kind of cocoon that protects from the cold and small animals. During sleep, the frog uses its own reserves of energy and a minimum of oxygen needed to maintain life. With the onset of the warm season, the amphibian gets out of its house and enters the usual rhythm of life.
Some tree frog species prefer to hibernate in crevices between rocks or crevices in trees.
Water frogs hibernate in a slightly different way. They do not burrow deep in silt and do not hibernate. On the contrary, in comparison with their terrestrial brothers in winter, they are even quite active. The leopard frog and the large North American bullfrog, for example, sink slightly into the water's bottom and slow their heart rate. They do this in order to receive a sufficient amount of oxygen with their entire surface of the body, since they do not have gills as such. In a state of sleep, they can even move very slowly.
Life after death
In a similar state of suspended animation, frogs can exist for up to eight months. However, if the permafrost nevertheless reaches their hearts, nothing terrible will happen. The respiration and heart rhythms of the animal can stop, but the frog will not be able to cover with ice from the inside due to the high content of glucose in its tissues. In this state, she can stay long enough until they feel the approach of warming. Gradually, step by step, the animal will return to normal life, as if reviving after death.
The state of suspended animation is available only to cold-blooded animals, since they have no need to generate heat. Therefore, mammals cannot hibernate for a long time.
Due to this rhythm of life, some species of frogs can live up to ten to fifteen years.
