The Eastern Hellbender is the largest salamander in North America and are a threatened species. Unfortunetly, they are not very pretty looking. They have mucus covered skin, short legs, and beady eyes. Members of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium reared 255 salamanders from eggs to young adults and will be released into the streams of Ohio during the second week of August in an attempt to restore their threatened populations.
The eastern hellbenders used to be abundent throughout the streams of the Appalachian Mountains, from New York to Missouri, down to Georgia. However, for the past half century, habitat loss, dams and pollution have been diminishing the population which landed them on the species list of special concern in 1983. Scientists have noticed in the past three decades, the species has declined 82% in Ohio. They are worried the species won't survive in the wild because they are struggling to reproduce. What is making the struggle more difficult is water pollution. Siltation is separating larvae from their homes making it difficult for them to develop into adult salamanders.
The members of the project in Ohio hope to release salamanders into the wild annually in an effort the scratch the species of the species of special concern list.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/science/hellbenders-salamanders.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront
http://www.nature.org/newsfeatures/specialfeatures/animals/amphibians/hellbender-salamander-facts.xml
I hope to discover in a few years from now that the Eastern Hellbender is no longer a threatened species. Reading all of these science articles, I am now becoming more aware of how many species are threatened, endangered, or extinct. It really makes me nervous for the future and advocate for any species that is in trouble.
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