Eastern Hellbender Conservation

Sustainability: Giant Salamanders? Hell, Yes!

By Terry Deal

Any creature with a name like “hellbender” is bound to raise some eyebrows. But what if this animal was also one of the oldest, most interesting, and least known creatures to inhabit the creeks and streams of southern Appalachia?

The eastern hellbender, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, is our region’s largest salamander species with adults reaching up to two and a half feet in length and a lifespan that is believed to exceed 60 years. “No one really knows how long they can live,” says Dr. J.J. Apodaca, professor of conservation biology at Warren Wilson College.

For J.J., who specializes in salamander conservation, the hellbender story is about much more than its remarkable size and longevity. “They are excellent indicators of stream quality,” he says, “and they cannot survive in water that has been polluted through human alteration of their habitat.”

Western North Carolina is one of the last strongholds for hellbenders, a protected species listed as “of special concern” in the state. Hellbenders are either struggling or extinct in 85 percent of the streams where they were once healthy and abundant. Their biggest threat is the siltation of streams due to runoff caused by forestry, agriculture, and development.

This summer, nine student interns, two student supervisors, three universities, and two professors have come together in a unique collaboration with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and the U.S. Forest Service to help give the hellbender a better chance at survival. Warren Wilson College, UNC Asheville, and Duke University all have student representatives who are working on this with Wild South, a regional environmental organization.

The interns, under J.J.’s supervision, are constructing, placing, and monitoring 50 artificial nest boxes that they hope will increase suitable habitat for hellbenders to reproduce. With funding from a private donor interested in hellbender conservation, the concrete nest boxes were designed and adapted specifically for the fast-moving streams in the mountains. The scientists and students hope that by situating the boxes where hellbender populations are declining, they can provide them a silt-free environment in which the female hellbenders can lay their eggs and the males can safely Giant Salamanders? Hell, Yes! Eastern hellbender sustainability protect them until they hatch.

Morgan Harris, an intern and associate conservation biologist for Wild South, has had firsthand experience catching hellbenders and refers to them as the rock stars of the salamander world. “It’s like working with tigers or elephants, except that these are the giants of creatures we rarely notice,” he says. “They’re flat so that they can hide under rocks and their skin is so wrinkled we call them ‘lasagna sides.’ They’re cute in an ugly way.”

Through the nest box project, Morgan, J.J. and the other scientists and students involved hope to gain more insight into the reproductive behavior of Western North Carolina hellbenders as well as a better understanding of the health of their populations. “One of the greatest threats to all wildlife populations is fragmentation,” J.J. says. “If the nest boxes are successful, it may mean that we are able to reconnect habitat, creating an underwater corridor. This would give us a tool to fight fragmentation in our largest salamander species.”

Depending upon the region, hellbenders may be called water dogs, devil dogs, grampus, mudpuppies, or snot otters. Each of these monikers reflects the fact that these creatures of the creek are unique, memorable, and part of the natural history and landscape of the Appalachian Mountains.

“They are a symbol of southern Appalachia and something we should embrace and protect,” says J.J. “I knew I wanted to study them the first time I saw one in the wild.”

Along with helping to improve their chances for survival by building nest boxes, J.J. hopes to encourage others to continue fighting for clean, protected streams in our area. “Don’t move rocks in streams,” he advises. “Rocks are homes and habitats for these creatures and people have actually smashed hellbenders by moving rocks around.”

If you would like to join the effort to protect salamanders or learn more about hellbenders, visit wildsouth.org and read about the Hellbender Protection Campaign. Terry Deal is the president of the board of directors for Wild South.