Life on Ice: Animals That Can Freeze Solid and Still Survive

The Wood Frog: Nature’s Real-Life Ice Cube

The wood frog (Rana sylvatica) doesn’t avoid freezing — it embraces it. Found in North America, this frog can survive with up to 70% of its body water turned to ice. During winter, it stops breathing, its heart stops beating, and ice crystals form in its tissues.

How does it survive this? Its liver produces glucose, which floods the cells and acts like antifreeze, preventing the formation of damaging ice inside the cells. The frog essentially goes into suspended animation, staying frozen for weeks or even months.

When spring returns and temperatures rise, the frog thaws out, its heart starts beating again, and it hops away as if nothing happened. It’s the only known frog in Alaska that survives freezing this way — a true ice magician.

Painted Turtles: Baby Survivors of Ice

The painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) is one of the most widespread turtles in North America, and its hatchlings have an amazing cold resistance. Unlike adults who hibernate underwater, the hatchlings remain in shallow nests underground during winter, where temperatures can drop well below freezing.

The secret to their survival lies in supercooling. Their bodies cool below freezing point without forming lethal ice crystals, thanks to natural antifreeze compounds in their blood. Some can even tolerate partial freezing of tissues.

By spring, these tiny turtles thaw and crawl out of their icy cradles — alive and ready for life. It’s a survival strategy that’s shocked even scientists.

Alaskan Upis Beetle: A Frozen Insect That Refuses to Die

The Upis beetle (Upis ceramboides), found in Alaska, is one of the most freeze-tolerant insects known. It can survive temperatures as low as -60°C (-76°F) — temperatures that would kill most animals instantly.

What makes this beetle special is a sugar alcohol called xylomannan in its body. This unique substance prevents ice crystals from damaging its cells and allows it to freeze solid without dying.

The beetle’s body also dehydrates during freezing, which helps reduce internal water that could otherwise turn to lethal ice. When spring arrives, the beetle thaws and goes about its life, completely unharmed.

It’s like a bug version of Captain America — frozen in time and ready for action.

Arctic Woolly Bear Moth: A Freeze-Thaw Champion

The Arctic woolly bear moth (Gynaephora groenlandica) has one of the strangest life cycles in the insect world. It spends up to 7 years as a caterpillar, freezing and thawing each year as it slowly develops.

In winter, the caterpillar freezes solid, with ice forming in its gut and body fluids. In spring, it thaws, eats rapidly during the brief Arctic summer, and then refreezes again. It repeats this cycle multiple times before finally pupating and turning into a moth.

Its secret lies in cryoprotectants — compounds like glycerol and antifreeze proteins that protect its cells from ice damage. This moth doesn’t just survive freezing — it relies on it to grow.

Siberian Salamander: Ice-Resistant Amphibian from the Far North

The Siberian salamander (Salamandrella keyserlingii) is native to some of the coldest parts of Russia, where temperatures can drop below -45°C (-49°F). Amazingly, this salamander can survive being frozen for years, not just days or weeks.

Scientists have recovered specimens from permafrost that came back to life after thawing. Like other freeze-tolerant animals, it uses cryoprotectants like glycerol to keep its cells safe during ice formation.

Its internal organs shut down completely during the frozen state, and its heartbeat stops — but once temperatures rise, it thaws and resumes life normally. It’s one of the few vertebrates known to survive multi-year deep freezing.

Goldenrod Gall Fly: Freezing to Fool Winter

The goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis) lays its eggs in goldenrod plants, where the larvae form galls — plant swellings that act as both home and freezer. When winter comes, the larvae inside freeze solid, but survive thanks to a cocktail of cryoprotectants including sorbitol and glycerol.

The larva’s cells don’t freeze — only the fluids between them do — which protects internal structures from damage. When spring returns, the larvae thaw and continue their development into adult flies.

Though tiny and overlooked, this insect has become a model organism for cryobiology, helping researchers understand how freezing might one day help preserve human tissues.

Antarctic Midge: The Ultimate Freeze Survivor

The Antarctic midge (Belgica antarctica) is the only insect native to Antarctica, and it survives in one of the harshest environments on Earth. It spends much of its life as a larva, where it endures freezing, drying out, and extreme UV radiation.

This midge survives up to 70% dehydration and can withstand multiple freeze-thaw cycles. Unlike other insects, it has no wings, which helps conserve energy and reduce water loss.

Its tiny size — just a few millimeters long — hides an incredible survival system. For scientists studying how life can exist in extreme conditions (like Mars), the Antarctic midge offers critical clues.

Community

When we think of freezing temperatures, we often imagine lifeless silence. But in nature, ice doesn’t always mean death — for some, it means survival, preservation, and even growth.

These creatures have turned what should be a deadly force into an advantage. Whether it's a frog freezing in the forest, a moth cycling through icy slumber, or a beetle braving -60°C, they remind us that nature is endlessly adaptable.

So the next time you step out into the cold, remember: somewhere beneath the ice, something small might just be waiting to wake up.

If you found this article fascinating, share it with someone who thinks winter is too harsh to survive. Because in the wild, life finds a way — even when frozen solid.