Wood Frog

Wood Frog

Lithobates sylvaticus

Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Anchorage

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

22 Verified sightings at Anchorage
927 In all 15 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Wood Frog

Lithobates sylvaticus or Rana sylvatica, commonly known as the wood frog, is a frog species that has a broad distribution over North America, extending from the boreal forest of the north to the southern Appalachians, with several notable disjunct populations including lowland eastern North Carolina. The wood frog has garnered attention from biologists because of its freeze tolerance, relatively great degree of terrestrialism (for a ranid), interesting habitat associations (peat bogs, vernal pools, uplands), and relatively long-range movements. It is the only North American frog that occurs north of the Arctic Circle.

The ecology and conservation of the wood frog has attracted research attention in recent years because they are often considered "obligate" breeders in ephemeral wetlands (sometimes called "vernal pools"), which are themselves more imperiled than the species that breed in them. The wood frog has been proposed to be the official state amphibian of New York.

Wood frogs range from 51 to 70 mm (2.0 to 2.8 in) in length. Females are larger than males. Adult wood frogs are usually brown, tan, or rust-colored, and usually have a dark eye mask. Individual frogs... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:11

United States · 2026

© noahhen67 · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:10

United States · 2026

© Jeff W · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:16

United States · 2026

© Zach Bell · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~70%
2 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~70%
3 Nahanni National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~60%
4 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~40%
5 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~40%
6 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
7 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
8 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
9 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
10 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
11 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
12 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
13 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
14 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
15 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Anchorage 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
5 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
8 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Ecomuseum Zoo 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
2 Columbus Zoo and Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 Squam Lakes Natural Science Center 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
4 Toledo Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
5 Trailside Museum & Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
6 Georgia Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
7 Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Wood Frog in Anchorage?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Wood Frog sighting in Anchorage on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Wood Frog in Anchorage?

August

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Wood Frog in Anchorage on a given day, against under 5% in October to April, the lowest months. That is one of Anchorage's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain against 40 mm in April.

What time of day is best to see a Wood Frog?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Wood Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Anchorage the best place to see a Wood Frog?

Yes

Of the 9 cities where we can rate Wood Frog sightings, Anchorage has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Washington (United States, about 10%) and Edmonton (Canada, about 10%).

Where does the Wood Frog sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Wood Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Anchorage (22 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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