|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
Despite their name, Hellbenders are no hellraisers. These aquatic salamanders may be the largest of their kind in the United States but they are no monsters.
Growing up to 2.5 feet in length, the hellbender is an odd looking creature with a broad flattened head, loose and wrinkled skin, small beady eyes and a paddle-like tail. Gentle and a bit shy, they prefer swimming in fast flowing river habitats and hiding under rocks during the day. They are mostly active right when the sun goes down when they search for a meal of crawfish.
Hellbenders in Indiana
Although the IUCN Red List has labeled hellbenders only as "Nearly Threatened," Indiana has placed them on our endangered specie list. Historical records indicate hellbender once occurred in Fourteen Mile Creek; Little Blue River; Whitewater River; Silver Creek; Indian Creek; Ohio River; and the Wabash River. Today, the hellbender's singular habitat in Indiana is the clean and clear Blue River, located in southern Indiana.
Since 1996 the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program, or NEWP, has studied the hellbender to monitor the remaining population's demographics. Annual collections range from 12 to 49 hellbenders, with an average of 23 individuals studied a year. Basic information on weight, length, sex and location of capture is collected from all captured individuals, and then they're permanently marked for future identification. Although several nests have been located during the past 11 years, evidence of juveniles has not been found.
Myths and Legends
The biggest myth about the hellbender is that it is poisonous. It is a common misconception most likely stemming from the fact that the hellbender is an ugly, slimy creature. When handled or attacked, the giant salamander will secrete large amounts of mucus. Even though the secretions are slightly toxic, humans do not have to worry unless planning on putting the hellbender in their mouths.
Other myths blame the hellbender for a bad day of fishing. It has been said that the shy salamander will slime a fisherman's line, chase the fish away or even take the largest of fish for its own meal. Not true; hellbenders would rather be under their rocks than disturb any anglers out during the day.
If you are a fisherman and find an unfortunate hellbender on the end of your line, please unhook them instead of cutting the line and letting them go. Remember, the hellbender is endangered in Indiana and must be protected. Under no circumstances should they be killed, trapped or kept as pets. Please read IDNR's frequently asked questions on Amphibian & Reptile Regulations for more information.
Threats to the Hellbender's Survival
As a large but apprehensive amphibian, the adult hellbender's main threat is man. An angler using live bait may accidentally hook one or may unknowingly destroy their nests while trudging along the riverbed. Then there are those who search to capture the hellbender to keep them as pets or sell them to pet stores. Taking this endangered specie away from its natural habitat, for any reason, is illegal and detrimental in raising its population in Indiana.
Then there is pollution. Hellbenders, like many other amphibians, breathe through their porous skin, which makes them extremely vulnerable to water pollution, siltation and impoundment. Like sponges, hellbenders will easily soak up their surrounding environment. That is why they are only found in water that is clear, clean and well-oxygenated with large rocks scattered on the bottom.
What is Being Done to Protect Hellbenders
The Nature Conservancy's Blue River Project Office has worked on various projects to make sure the river basin is protected with the help of local partners and landowners by preventing soil erosion through the planting of trees. By planting trees alongside the river that flows through their property, TNC and local landowners create a vegetated buffer that will protect the water quality of the Blue River by acting as a filtering system for erosion. The presence of trees and natural shrubs will also help prevent soil from entering the river with runoff; roots will help stabilize the riverbank; presence of trees will provide necessary shade over the hellbender's habitat; and will slow the river so rocks, where hellbenders make their nests underneath, are no disturbed. Other work done by the Blue River Project office, such as working with the city of Salem's wastewater treatment, indirectly contributes to the health of the river and helps increase much needed habitat for the hellbender.
Hellbenders are needed in
Fun Hellbender Facts
According to PBS's Track That Word, the hellbender was named as such due to its extreme ugliness and that when caught by a fisherman, it was exclaimed the large salamander had to be a creature straight from the infernal regions.
The hellbender is sometimes unflatteringly referred to as a snot otter, devil dog and mud cat. Please don't call it a mudpuppy; those creatures are of an entirely different species of salamander.
Hellbenders are prehistoric creatures having roamed the Earth for more than 150 million years.
Hellbenders are the largest salamanders in North America but not the world. That title goes to the Chinese giant salamander, Andrias davidianus, which reaches lengths of over 5 feet and can weigh up to 55 pounds.
There are only two subspecies of hellbenders: Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis, (Eastern hellbender) and C. a. bishopi (Ozark hellbender). The Eastern hellbender is the subspecies found in Indiana as well several other states across the U.S. However, the Ozark hellbender is only found in two river systems of Missouri and Arkansas.
The family Cryptobranchidae means “hidden gills.” Hellbenders loose their gills around two years of age when the gills are absorbed into the body. As adults, they are able to live entirely underwater by breathing through blood vessels in their skin.
Oddly enough...hellbenders have lungs that are not used to breath. It is the only species of salamander in North America to do so. Scientists believe they use these lungs for buoyancy.
Hellbenders have two sets of small teeth located on the upper and lower jaws.
Though it has a flat, eel-like tail, the hellbender rarely swims. Instead, it will trudge through the bottom of the river bed with its short legs, using the rough pads on their toes for traction.
Hellbenders are opportunistic cannibals- adults will eat smaller adults as well as the eggs and larvae from their own nests and those of others.
Nests have been found containing up to 300 eggs. This number may seem promising for the restoration of a healthy hellbender population but due to predation by larger water mammals and the consumption of eggs and larvae by hellbenders themselves, there may be little chance for survival.
Hellbenders In Action
The following video was shot and edited by Jeff Humphries for the Hellbender Homepage. If you would like to see more footage, please click here.For More Information
The Hellbender Homepage - "Promoting Conservation of North American Giant Salamander"
The Center for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation and Management's Hellbender webpage
Animal Diversity Web -Cryptobranchus alleganiensis
AmphibiaWeb - a web database containing information on the biology and conservation of amphibians including the hellbender.
Hellbender entry on NatureServe Explorer - the "Online Encyclopedia of Life"
Missouri's hellbender information
St. Louis Zoo's Hellbenders - The St. Louis Zoo is also working on conservation efforts to save the hellbender in Missouri.
Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation
Water ~ Learning and Living: Information on bioindicators
On Waterdogs, Mudpuppies, and the Occasional Hellbender - an article from the Smithsonian's National Zoological Parks publication, Zoogoer.
Nature picture credits Photo © The Nature Conservancy (hellbenders).
Join The Nature Conservancy on