Wild Feed

The Eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus a. alleganiensis) isn’t nearly as fearsome as its name implies. They’re actually somewhat cute, if you can get past the salamander’s slimy, mucousy skin that’s earned it such nicknames, such as “snot otter” and “lasagna lizard.”

Although hellbenders can grow up to two feet long, the amphibians are notoriously elusive and prefer to reside under large, flat rocks in well-oxygenated waterways that snake through Appalachia and the Ohio River basin. They are also increasingly difficult to spot, because their numbers are declining due to ecological issues. Based on a recent environmental study encompassing 90 sites across 73 rivers, researchers at the University of Kentucky now believe that they have identified one of the hellraiser’s main problems. They are losing their habitats to increasingly murky, sediment-filled waters, according to a study published in the journal Freshwater Biology.