Crawfish Frogs (Rana areolata) have been called the most secretive frog in North America – an unusual moniker for a widespread anuran – inhabiting a third of the most scientifically advanced country in the world. The Call of the Crawfish Frog tells the story of the biology of Crawfish Frogs, but also a story of the challenges faced during field work on an especially secretive and difficult to find our organism. And while the story of these burrow-dwelling frogs is extraordinary, the stories of the future scholars learning their craft in physically and emotionally demanding circumstances makes the story all the more exceptional.
Dr. Michael Lannoo is a professor at Indiana University and an affiliate of the Illinois Natural History Survey at the University of Illinois, and Purdue University. His research interests include morphological, ecological, and conservation-related questions in vertebrates inhabiting temperate, tropical, and polar systems. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers and eight scientific/popular books. In 2001, he received the Parker/Gentry Award for Excellence and Innovation in Conservation Biology from The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL.