The FrogMan

Aug 26, 2026

Uploaded by Jake

The document profiles Dr. Arthur N. Bragg, a zoology associate professor whose long-term fieldwork centers on studying frogs and toads. It describes how he records frog calls using improvised outdoor gear and then analyzes the sounds in his study, framing his hobby as “Frogology.” It also recounts his early fascination with natural history, his academic training and career path, and touches on his views that common misconceptions about frog and toad “warts” are unfounded.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

The FrogMan

Field recording and “Frogology”

Early influences and education

Career path and research focus

Views on common misconceptions

He probably has never had a brush with Petrillo or Decca,but he has recorded as much as many of thetop musical artists.It's justthat Dr.A.N.Bragg prefers frog voices. By Bill Goodner,'52 Just as dusk stakes its claim on anotherday,a rather rotund little figure,attired inthe appropriate dress of an Oklahomaangler including hip boots,Saturday clothesand an old friend of a hat,interrupts thethicket that crowds the edge of a smallSooner stream. with the basso voiced—“KNEE-DEEP,”“KNEE DEEP”and“JUG-O-RUM,”“JUG-O-RUM”of the frogs.Apparentlysatisfied with what he hears,the man'sround face displays an elfish jollyness as hesticks the pole into the mud,takes a mic-rophone out of his pocket and sticks it onthe pole.Obviously pleased with himself,he throws the switch and contentedly set-tles to the task of recording the frogs'voices. He stops—listens,and like a deer tastingthe wind,gingerly pushes his way throughthe brush.His fishing gear is a mite un-orthodox.He slowly wades out into thepond carrying a pole,a black rectangularbox and training bchind is a slender blackcord that is swallowed up by the under-growth.Once again he stops—listens.Noth-ing but chirping crickets,an occasionalsqueal from a night swallow intermingled The man who stealthy stalks ponds torecord the frog crooners is Dr.A.N.Bragg,37ph.d.,associate professor of zoology atthe University.He may be seen lugging hisrecording paraphnelia in the direction of anearby body of water on most any spring or Listening to the recordings of frogs'voices in the comfort of his study is Dr.Arthur N.Bragg,associate professor of zoological sciences.Dr.Bragg has beentramping into marshes and bottom land over forty years collecting data on frogs. The FrogMan summer evening.Though he calls his hob-by "biologizing,"it could be more aptlynamed “Frogology.”Bragg says he's notcompletely infatuated with frogs and toadsbut that he just happened to fall into thatline. Comfortably filling his swivel chair inhis office in the Biology building,Braggleaned back in thought,gazed ceilingwardand reminiscingly remarked,"I guess thatfrogs and I first hit it off back in the springof 1909 when I was a little kid runninghelter-skelter over a farm in Maine."Theneighboring farm was operated by a super-intendent of schools and young Bragg be-came intensely interested in a roomful ofbooks the superintendent kept.On borrow-ing a stackful of books,Gragg discoveredamidst the readers a natural history book,giving the usual treatment of ants,waterbeetles and tadpoles,frogs and toads. Stimulated by his reading he found a newworld in nature and became fascinated thenext spring observing frog breeding.Sub-sequently he has been watching frogs andstudying their habits every summer sincethen.While going through highschool,hegraduated from the Main Central Institutein 1918,he learned that his observations offrogs and toads jibbed with the data in textbooks. Majoring in biology,he received his B.S.degree from Bates College in 1924.In 1934he received his M.A.from Boston Univer-sity and in 1937 his Ph.D.from the Univer-sity of Oklahoma.His teaching career be-gan as an assistant professor of zoology atMarquette University.He worked as anassistant in biology in John Hopkins Uni-versity,1924,returning to Marquette in1925,staying there as an assistant professorof zoology to 1933. All through his undergraduate daysBragg would supply his classes with sam-ples of frog life for it was as easy an assign-ment for him as asking a farm boy to obtaina sample of milk from a cow.Coming toOklahoma he continued his studies of froglife.“My first spring in Oklahoma Ihuntedfor frogs from February until April beforeI found any,"chuckled Bragg.“I was work- Barkdull,president of the American BarAssociation appointed Sneed to the mili-tary committee. ing on my degree in embryology,but afterthat I stepped up the research on my friendthe frog for I realized that I had wronglyassumed frog habits were the same over thecountry.”

FAQs

Who is the central figure in the document?

Dr. Arthur N. Bragg, an associate professor of zoology, is the main subject, known for collecting data and recording frog voices.

How does Dr. Bragg study frogs in the field?

He stealthily records frog calls along streams and ponds, using a microphone placed on a pole and then listening to the recordings back in his study.

What early experiences shaped Bragg’s interest in frogs and toads?

As a young student, he became captivated by natural history books and later observed frog breeding, then continued watching frogs every summer.

Aug 26, 2026

Uploaded by Jake