Search results
The hellbender—sometimes called a “snot otter”—is a large, fully-aquatic amphibian with a flat head, wrinkled body, and paddle-shaped tail. Its body is usually dark gray or brown with irregular dark spots along the back. Although sometimes confused with mudpuppies, hellbenders are easily distinguished by their lack of external gills.
Jun 1, 2017 · In fact, hellbenders are the largest amphibian in North America, growing up to 30 inches long. Briggler, an expert on native amphibians , commissioned a study to find out how...
People also ask
How long have hellbenders been around?
What does a hellbender look like?
Do hellbenders have gills?
Are hellbenders reintroduced to the wild?
In New York, the hellbender is found solely in the Susquehanna and Allegheny River drainages, including their associated tributaries. Hellbenders require swift running, well-oxygenated, unpolluted streams and rivers.
Hellbenders are the largest salamanders in North America. The scientific name of hellbenders, Cryptobranchus means “hidden gills.”. Hellbenders lose their gills around 1.5 to 2 years of age when the gills are absorbed into the body. As adults, they breath through blood vessels in their skin.
- Murky Future. Salamanders are vulnerable for a few reasons. First, "they are really closely tied to their environment," said Kim Terrell, a conservation biologist with the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., who studies hellbender immune systems.
- Mysterious Disease. Unknown diseases may also be afflicting hellbenders, and researchers are ramping up monitoring efforts to try to understand why the animals are getting hit with chronic skin conditions.
- Healthy Hellbenders. Floyd and his colleagues are working hard to ensure their hellbender populations remain safe. The state has perhaps some of the healthiest populations of hellbenders in the country, Floyd explained, and they regularly monitor the wild animals to make sure they stay that way.
- Hellbenders in the Empire State. Unfortunately, hellbenders in New York aren't doing as well. "We have them in only two watersheds in New York State—the Allegheny River watershed and the Susquehanna watershed," said New York State's Roblee.
Hellbenders are found in only one place in Indiana: the Blue River watershed. This area comprises roughly 125,000 acres of land in Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Harrison, and Washington Counties that all drains into the Blue River.
Aug 7, 2013 · They are the third largest species of salamanders in the world, growing to over two feet long and weighing over four pounds. Their closest relatives live in China and Japan, but hellbenders are...
