Un-Frozen Frogs!

Cle Elum Middle School students watched as several Pacific Chorus Frogs slowly recovered from being frozen. That's right, frozen.
Solid. Like ice cubes. And it's a natural part of how these frogs survive during the cold winters in the Yakima Basin!

Amber, following a special protocol from Dr. Jason Irwin's laboratory, was able to freeze these frogs for an in class laboratory about freeze tolerance and other overwintering strategies.
Frogs were removed from the cold water bath at various times so that students could observe the stages of recovering such as the heart beat returning to the seemingly lifeless frog.
Dr. Irwin gave a guest lecture on overwintering strategies and explained the basic physiology behind freeze tolerance in these amazing amphibians!