A colony of endangered crawfish frogs has been successfully reintroduced at Angel Mounds. WNIN’s John Gibson has details:
The Department of Natural Resources says it’s the first time in nearly 40 years that the species has resided in the state historic site in Evansville.
The conservation effort began in 2022 as a collaboration between the DNR’s Division of Fish & Wildlife and Angel Mounds.
Site Manager Mike Linderman describes Angel Mounds as a “multi-faceted site” involving culture, history, and natural and environmental components.
Linderman says the site is helping an endangered species return to its natural habitat where it once thrived.
With their spot pattern and loud croak, crawfish frogs are prairie-dwelling amphibians that spend much of their lives underground.
The adult frogs, which can grow to the size of a human fist, rely on quality grassland.
A large population of crawfish frogs once thrived at Angel Mounds, potentially as far back as when Native Americans inhabited the site, until the mid- to late-1980s when the amphibians vanished, possibly triggered by an extended drought.