Frog Hibernation

Exodus 8:10b-11
“And he said, [Be it] according to thy word: that thou mayest know that [there is] none like unto the LORD our God. And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only.”

Did you ever wonder where frogs go in the winter? Yes, frogs hibernate, but there is much more to it than that.

Frogs are cold-blooded, meaning that they don’t create their own body heat. The heat they need to maintain life must come from the sun or the heat in the water and air around them. As the weather cools off, a frog’s blood begins to thicken, and life slows down. Frogs begin looking for places to hibernate. The frog must carefully select his winter resting spot. If his body temperature falls more than two degrees below the freezing point of water, ice crystals will begin to form in his blood, and he will die. Some frogs bury themselves deeply enough in the mud to avoid freezing temperatures. Others may crawl inside decaying logs or under leaves, both of which provide heat from decay to avoid freezing temperatures.

Scientists have found that frogs have still another trick to help them survive. When the weather is unseasonably cool during the spring or summer, meaning a harder life and more deaths among the frog population, the next generation of frogs will automatically have more females. Additional females means that more eggs can be laid in the spring. As a result, the frog population will more quickly return to normal.

Everywhere we look in the creation we find evidence, not only of the Creator’s wisdom, but of His loving care for every living thing. Do you know His loving care in your life? You can be absolutely certain of that care through the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, all creation serves and honors You. Help me to conduct my life as Your redeemed child so that I, too, may better serve and honor You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Ref.: Science Digest, November, 1978, page 96. Photo: Frog – Pixabay.com