Amphibians
Southern Crawfish Frog
Lithobates areolatus areolatus · also called southern crawfish frogs
At the entrance of an abandoned crayfish burrow in a stretch of native prairie, a southern crawfish frog waits after dark for passing insects, rarely straying more than a short hop from the exact tunnel that has sheltered it for essentially its entire adult life.
Overview
The southern crawfish frog, Lithobates areolatus areolatus, is a stocky, burrow-dependent frog native to grassland and prairie habitat across parts of the south-central United States. Its near-total reliance on abandoned crayfish burrows for shelter makes it one of the more ecologically interdependent amphibians in North America, its own fate tied closely to a completely different species’ construction work.
A frog that never really leaves home
Where most frogs move freely between different shelters, the southern crawfish frog instead commits to a single borrowed burrow for the vast majority of its life, a dependence that leaves the species only as secure as the crayfish population that keeps digging new tunnels nearby.
Status
Near Threatened — declining in parts of its range, linked to the loss of native prairie and grassland habitat affecting both the frog and the crayfish it depends on.
Southern Crawfish Frog: common questions
Why does the southern crawfish frog need crayfish burrows?
A southern crawfish frog spends nearly all of its life sheltering inside abandoned crayfish burrows, relying on the tunnel's stable temperature and humidity along with protection from predators, meaning the frog's own survival is closely tied to the presence and activity of crayfish species that dig the very burrows it depends on.
How does the southern crawfish frog breed?
The southern crawfish frog breeds explosively in temporary pools that form in grassland habitat after heavy rain, with large numbers of frogs calling and breeding within a short window before the frogs return to their individual burrows for the rest of the year.
Why is the southern crawfish frog declining?
The southern crawfish frog has declined in parts of its range due to the loss and fragmentation of native prairie and grassland habitat, a change that affects both the frog directly and the crayfish species whose abandoned burrows the frog depends on for year-round shelter.
Where does the southern crawfish frog live?
The southern crawfish frog is native to grassland and prairie habitat across parts of the south-central United States, generally remaining close to a single crayfish burrow for most of its life outside the breeding season.