AMPHIBIANS IN WINTER! Our amphibians live through winter in three different ways. When you read about each kind of frog, toad or salamander, you will learn which way it uses to get through winter. Underwater Some frogs and salamanders, and some tadpoles, spend winter on the bottom of lakes, rivers or deep ponds. They must stay somewhere where the water does not freeze. In the cold water they sit still and sleep through winter. They do not have to breathe air. They breathe through their skin under the water. Underground Toads and some salamanders spend winter on land. They must burrow deep into soft ground or go down into holes in the ground. The must go deeper than the frost can go. They sleep in the cold ground all winter, but if the ground where they are sleeping freezes they will die. Frozen Alive Some kinds of frogs spend winter on land, too, but they don't go deep underground. In late fall they crawl under logs, leaves or thick grass and lie still. Their bodies can freeze solid, but they are still alive ! When it gets cold their bodies make lots of sugar that acts like anti-freeze (just like in a car). In spring they thaw out and hop away.