Hellbender hotel open for business
What do you think of when you hear the name snot otter, devil dog or lasagna lizard? Silly names that kids would make up for an imaginary pet?? Nope.
They are names for a fascinating real life animal called the eastern hellbender.
Hellbender are one of the coolest animals we have in the U.S — literally, as they are always found in cooler temperature streams!
The eastern hellbender is the largest salamander in the United States and can live longer than 25 years. The coloration is typically a variation of yellow brown, red-brown to dark brown with sparse black blotches and spots. They have a flattened head, stocky body with fold on its sides, a keeled tail and powerful limbs.
In fact, Pennsylvania thought Hellbenders were so cool that they named them the official state amphibian!
Hellbenders prefer streams and rivers with good space for large rock nesting locations. Their flat head and body allows them to hide under these rocks or potentially in our cozy huts.
They have also become a prized species for illegal pet operations which has been a cause for the decline in population.
Hellbenders primarily breathe through their skin and rely on cool, well oxygenated flowing water. This makes the giant salamander sensitive to changes such as habitat loss from dams, poor agricultural practices, heavy logging and acid mine drainage effects. The construction of dams stops swift water flow which results in warmer temperatures and lower oxygen levels.
Hellbenders are also one of the most important critters to have in rivers and streams, as they are water quality indicators for healthy aquatic systems. However, decades of land-use change has resulted in polluted rivers and streams and loss of habitat. Because of this Hellbenders have declined in many areas of their range in the eastern half of the United States.
Conservation actions that are taking place include permanently protecting riparian areas along rivers and streams, placing large rock slabs into rivers and streams to increase available nesting habitat and abating stream erosion causes banks to crumble into the water adding sediment that covers up their nest rocks. Captive management is another effort that can be effective, where eggs/young are reared in zoos for eventual release into the wild when they are large enough.
Hellbender Huts (a.k.a nest boxes) are another conservation measure taken to provide habitat and are a good way for biologists to monitor them in the wild. In my time here at the New York Field Office, I have been involved in many conservation efforts from sturgeon egg takes to snail surveys but I have yet to actually help create an actual habitat until I had the opportunity to help construct some hellbender huts.
The construction of these ‘huts’ consisted of building the mold and form in order to ensure it is a good size for hellbenders. We then mixed the concrete, added it to the mold, put a metal ID tag in the corner and then let them sit for a few days so the form could set.
Once they were set, we popped them out of the mold and they were good to go. The huts will need to become acclimated so that any toxins are released before they are set out in the water, which will take 1–2 months of simply being left outside in the elements.
These huts will be set in traditional hellbender areas and covered by rocks in hopes of providing a living space, as well as protection from predators. Although the huts may go unused by hellbenders, it is completely possible that they will provide shelter for other species that inhabit the water.
As someone who loves to fish it was a satisfying project knowing that I am creating habitat for a species that represents a healthy aquatic system. Anglers should understand these salamanders are not dangerous nor do they affect fish populations.
In New York, the eastern hellbender species is listed as a species of special concern by the DEC. A radio telemetry study completed in the Susquehanna River drainage basin showed that all the salamanders captured were estimated to be 25 years or older, which indicated an aging population with little or no successful reproduction.
We can only hope that our hellbender hotel can get booked up and provide a suitable home for new generations of salamanders.
