Frogs are representatives of group of Amphibia. These animals developed the surprising mechanism of adaptation to climatic conditions and thus extended on all globe, from subtropics to polar lands.
Life in hibernationProcess of a wintering at all species of tailless Amphibia is identical. As soon as they feel approach of cold weather, at once begin to prepare for it.
Land frogs prefer to settle on a wintering in the soil, the fallen-down foliage or in deep crevices. At first the animal looks for for itself the convenient location for a dream. Some representatives, for example the American toads, are dug in deeply to the earth, it is lower than the level of freezing of the soil and arrange themselves a small mink, scientifically – hibernakulyum.
Gradually, with delay of vital processes, a body of an animal becomes coveredof slime which soon forms the peculiar cocoon protecting from cold and small animals. During a dream the frog uses own stocks of energy and a minimum of the oxygen necessary for maintenance of life. With approach of warm season amphibious gets out of the lodge and enters a habitual rhythm of life.
Some species of wood frogs prefer to fall into hibernation in crevices between stones or in cracks of trees.
Water frogs winter a little differently. They do not bury deeply in silt and not in fall in hibernation. On the contrary, in comparison with the land brothers in winter time they are even rather active. The leopard frog and a large North American frog bull, for example, slightly plunge into a surface of a water bottom and slow down the heartbeat. They do it to receive enough oxygen all the surface of a body as gills, per se, they have no. In a condition of a dream they can even move very slowly.
Life after deathIn a similar condition of anabiosis of a frog can exist up to eight months. However if permafrost nevertheless reaches their heart – nothing terrible will occur. Breath and warm rhythms of an animal can stop, but the frog will not be able to become covered with ice thanks to the high content of glucose in the fabrics from within. It can stay in such state long enough, yet will not feel warming approach. Gradually, step by step, the animal will come back to a normal way of life as if coming to life after death.
The condition of anabiosis is available only to cool animals as they have no need to develop warmly. Therefore mammals cannot fall into long hibernation.
Thanks to such rhythm of life some species of frogs can live up to ten-fifteen years.