Hail the Hellbender was originally published in the BFEC Newsletter, Vol. 13/No. 2, Spring 2009.
At 27 inches long, the hellbender clocks in as Ohio’s largest amphibian. These mid-evil appearing (but harmless) salamanders bend the typical amphibian life cycle rules by skipping a terrestrial stage and living entirely in water. Due to general river decline, hellbenders are also an Ohio Endangered Species and under consideration for federal listing, which is why we’re very excited about the two recent sightings in the Kokosing River. One was spotted in our neighborhood near the Laymon Rd. bridge, and the other was found near Pipesville Rd.
Hellbenders feed almost entirely on crayfish, but will also eat small fish, invertebrates and the occasional scavenged item, including fish bait. The Laymon Rd. hellbender was inadvertently pulled to shore with baited intended for catfish.
Hellbenders are indicators of excellent stream health because they require cool, clear water for breathing oxygen through their skin. Sediment, or excess mud from farm fields, constructions sites, and eroding stream banks is threatening hellbender populations and presents a nationwide pollution concern, clogging gills and river bottom habitat. Hellbenders are yet another reason to be proud of our river.