Crawfish Frog
Rana (Lithobates) areolata

Size:  2 1/2 - 4 inches
Distribution
Eastern 1/3 of the state.  The crawfish frog gets its name because of its habit of utilizing crawfish burrows. They remain below ground much of the year, and leave their burrows during the spring rains to call and search for a mate. Their habitat ranges from open grasslands and pastures to wooded edges where rainwater can accumulate into shallow, temporary pools with a mud bottom and emergent vegetation. The male's distinctive snore-like call can be heard for a long distance close to if not over a mile. They tend to be very secretive and reclusive, and their amazing pattern of circles is excellent camouflage in their dense grassland habitat. They are true frogs, but tend to be much more chubby in appearance and have proportionally shorter legs compared to leopard frogs and other true frogs. There are two subspecies of crawfish frog, the northern crawfish frog, Rana (Lithobates) areolata circulosa, and the southern crawfish frog, Rana (Lithobates) areolata areolata, but throughout much of their range in Oklahoma, their ranges heavily overlap and may extensively hybridize, so establishing a true subspecies may be quite difficult.