Crawfish Frog

Lithobates areolatus uses crayfish burrows as underground shelter from heat, cold, drought, and predators, and may spend much of the year in or beside one. Some crayfish burrows can be about 3 to 5 feet deep, giving the frog access to cooler, moister conditions. [Indiana Department of Natural Resources](https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/wildlife-resources/animals/crawfish-frog/) [Missouri Department of Conservation](https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/northern-crawfish-frog)

Crawfish frogs leave their upland burrows for seasonal or semi-permanent ponds in spring. Indiana's wildlife guidance lists the breeding period as March through mid-April and reports egg masses containing about 3,000 to 7,000 eggs. [Indiana Department of Natural Resources](https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/wildlife-resources/animals/crawfish-frog/)

Its status varies by state, but populations have declined across much of the central United States because grassland and burrow habitat are lost. Indiana lists the Crawfish Frog as state endangered, while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tracks Lithobates areolatus as a species of conservation concern. [Indiana Department of Natural Resources](https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/wildlife-resources/animals/crawfish-frog/) [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service](https://www.fws.gov/species/crawfish-frog-lithobates-areolatus)

Its diet includes nocturnal beetles, spiders, earthworms, ants, and millipedes rather than crayfish as its main food. The frog often feeds at or near its burrow entrance and can emerge in many months when weather conditions are suitable. [Indiana Department of Natural Resources](https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/wildlife-resources/animals/crawfish-frog/)