Treefrogs usually are slim waisted and have relatively long legs with
circular disks placed on an extra toe segment for climbing. Their tadpoles
have eyes which protrude from the side of the head giving them a pop-eyed
appearance.

The males precede the females to the breeding ponds in early spring
where they start calling vigorously. Following mating, the female lays 800 to
1,300 1/25 inch (0.1 cm.) eggs more or less separately on underwater
vegetation. These tiny eggs hatch in 5 to 15 days and over a period of 75 to
90 days develop into the 1 1/3 inches (3.4 cm.) long tadpoles which transform
into young peepers 3/5 inch (1.5 cm.) long. The young peepers take three to
four years to reach sexual maturity. Adults can reach a length of 1 3/8
inches (3.6 cm.).

TRUE FROGS

The true frogs can easily be separated from the treefrogs and toads as
they do not parotid glands, toe discs, or hind foot spades. They do have a
distinct membranes covered hearing organ (ear) or tympanum, their pupils are
round or horizontally elongated, and their hind feet are webbed. The tadpoles
or polliwogs of these species range in size from 2 inches to 6 inches (5.1 cm
to 15 cm.) and they have well developed tail fins and thick usually greenish,
olive-green, or black bodies often mottled or flecked with light marks or
spots. The eyes are located fairly close together so that they appear well
within the head when viewed from above.

WOOD FROG

This species is the only known member of the brown frog group of the
true frogs on Prince Edward Island. These frogs all have dorsolateral folds
and a dark eye mask extending from the snout to over the ear drums. The Wood
Frog is the smallest of these with the maximum size not exceeding 2 1/4 inches
(6.5 cm) in Canada. The base colour of these frog ranges from pink to brown
to black but is never green.

The Wood Frog is found in moist
woodlands and can wander quite widely from
water. It breeds in temporary and
permanent fresh water ponds where the
quacking call of this species’ mating song
is usually heard even before the ice is
off the pond. Mating commences as soon as
the ice clears and, as with most early
breeding true frogs, the eggs are usually
laid in globular masses attached to
vegetation below the surface of the water.
Egg development is closely related to
water temperature and is probably faster
in temporary ponds which warm up faster
than deep permanent waters. The eggs are
quite sensitive to temperature caused
death or deformity and this species, which
has the most northern distribution of all
the true frogs, has the greatest ability
to withstand low temperatures and the
highest sensitivity to higher
temperatures. Cook (1967) noted the first

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