A Call to Shine: A Reintroduction Project of the Endangered Crawfish Frog

by Ben Sebastian, Land Steward

No one on the crew that day was a stranger to being wet in a wetland, but this particular late summer day was sodden to the point you could wring out the air like a soaked headband. Sweat dripped off the tip of my nose as I scanned the ground for a special-looking obelisk of mud with a crater, a crayfish burrow. Cupped between my hands was a tiny (roughly the size of a quarter) and awfully timid new friend, a very young crawfish frog—a “metamorph” that recently transitioned from tadpole to frog. I spotted the perfect new home for the little amphibian, squatted down, and placed my hands over the burrow hole until I felt the subtle hop from my palm. The beady yellow eyes peeked out at me, clearly suspicious of the journey, but hopefully pleased with the destination.

The crawfish frog (Lithobates areolatus) is characterized by a chunky body, humped back, and dark mottled spots outlined in lighter, tan colored rings. Mating calls are described as a loud, deep, resonant snore repeated at irregular intervals. These calls can be heard from over a mile away, and larger groups are said to sound like a distant motor speedway (Minton 2001). The species is listed as endangered in Indiana with mostly small populations remaining in the southwestern quarter of the state. An isolated but larger population occurs in southeast Indiana, but there are few populations south of the White River. The last definitive record along Bean Blossom Creek was in 1991, with a final record of a call in an undisclosed location of Monroe County in 2003 (Engbrecht et al., 2013). They are now considered extirpated in Monroe County.

For a population to persist, there needs to be enough adequate burrows within grassland habitat with little soil disturbance, and most importantly, in proximity to quality breeding ponds. They undergo dermal absorption at every life stage, making them particularly sensitive to aquatic toxins. Breeding ponds can be over a half-mile away from burrows, but must be shallow enough to prevent fish populations from becoming established (fish predate frog eggs) while staying deep enough for the three to four months of development from tadpole to frog.

Partnering with Indiana Department of Natural Resources State Herpetology Program and Wildlife Health Program, Sycamore Land Trust participated in a reintroduction project that occurred over the course of a few weeks in the summer of 2025. The Sam Shine Foundation Preserve at Sycamore Land Trust has constructed wetlands built in 2023 adjacent to a managed upland grassland, the ideal habitat. The final release report documented 606 crawfish frog metamorphs and 2,000-3,000 crawfish frog tadpoles released in the Shine wetlands. Crawfish frogs take 2 to 3 years to reach maturity, and knowing the outcome of our efforts will take patience. The sign of success is hearing their snoring call in the spring of 2027-2028, a sound that will not have been heard along Bean Blossom Creek for decades.

Sycamore partnered with the Indiana DNR State Herpetology Program and Wildlife Health Program to release over 600 crawfish frog metamorphs and 3,000 tadpoles at the Sam Shine Foundation Preserve. Photos by Noah Johnson

References:

Engbrecht, N. J., & Lannoo, M. J. (2013). “Is there Hope for the Hoosier Frog? An Update on the Status of Crawfish Frogs (Lithobates areolatus) in Indiana, with Recommendations for their Conservation.” Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, 121(2), 118-127.

Heemeyer, Jennifer & Williams, Perry & Lannoo, Michael. (2012). Obligate Crayfish Burrow Use and Core Habitat Requirements of Crawfish Frogs. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 76. 10.1002/jwmg.357.

Minton, S. A., Jr. (2001). Amphibians & reptiles of Indiana (Rev. 2nd ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Indiana Academy of Science.

This story was featured in the Winter – Spring 2026 issue of The Twig, “The Water Quality Issue.” Read more at sycamorelandtrust.org/twig.