Two Truths, One Lie

By MDC | January 1, 2025
From Xplor: January/February 2025
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Which fascinating fact is actually a fib?

  1. A wood frog spends winter chilling out — literally. When icy weather hits, the palm-sized amphibian quits breathing, its heart stops, and its body freezes nearly solid.
  2. In Missouri, these cold-loving frogs prefer to live in our hottest and driest habitats, like rocky, sun-drenched glades in the Ozarks.
  3. Green algae grows on wood frog eggs. The algae gets carbon dioxide and nutrients from the baby frogs. In return, the baby frogs get oxygen from the algae.

Answer: 2 (Wood frogs live in cool, shady forests.)

 

Also In This Issue

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Photo of a Groundhog
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Hi! I’m Charlotte. I’m a woodchuck — aka a groundhog — a big, chubby squirrel who loves to sleep, eat, and dig.

Media
Squirrel Nest
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A walk through the woods in winter is like following a treasure map. 

This Issue's Staff

Artist – Matt Byrde
Photographer – Noppadol Paothong
Photographer – David Stonner
Designer – Marci Porter
Art Director – Ben Nickelson
Editor – Matt Seek
Subscriptions – Marcia Hale
Magazine Manager – Stephanie Thurber