What distinct facial feature is often used to identify the Wood Frog in the field?
Answer
A dark brown or black mask running from the snout through the eye to the eardrum (tympanum).
Wood Frogs possess excellent camouflage, enabling them to blend with soil and leaf litter using coloration ranging from reddish-brown to tan or dark brown. However, a key identifying physical characteristic, especially outside of breeding season, is the presence of a distinct facial marking. This feature is described as a dark brown or black mask that spans across the area covering the snout, passes directly through the eye, and extends back to cover the eardrum, or tympanum.
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