Eastern Hellbender needs protection

Lurking in the cold mountain streams of North Georgia you’ll find the largest Amphibian in the U.S. – the Eastern hellbender. These amazing salamanders can grow up to two feet long, live for up to 50 years and are also called ‘snot otters.

Found in rocky streams from Georgia to Pennsylvania they are critical indicators of the health of river ecosystems–polluted water can reduce the available oxygen hellbenders need to breathe through their skin and sediment clogs their pores.

The hellbender walks across the floor of its home waterway laying  eggs under large river rocks. Young hellbenders have gills, and adults breathe through their skin, meaning cold, well-oxygenated water is essential for their survival.

These salamanders face serious threats from multiple sources of pollution and habitat destruction. Runoff from agriculture, construction, and mining introduces sediments and chemicals that can suffocate adult hellbenders and damage their eggs. Recent flooding from Hurricane Helene has potentially devastated populations in Northeastern Georgia and North Carolina, adding to existing challenges. Stream crossings and other barriers fragment their habitat, preventing hellbenders from reaching crucial spawning grounds.

The hellbender’s population decline has reached a critical point, prompting the Fish & Wildlife Service to consider the species for protection under Endangered Species Act. This federal listing, supported by Environment Georgia, would be a crucial step toward saving these remarkable amphibians and preserving the clean, healthy streams they depend on. We must act now to protect the Eastern hellbender before this vital species disappears from our waterways forever.