researchers try to save huge U.S. salamander

[xchrom]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HELPING_THE_HELLBENDER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-07-10-03-00-16


In this June 18, 2014, photo, Rod Williams, a Purdue University associate professor of herpetology, holds a hellbender that he and a team of students collected in southern Indiana's Blue River near Corydon, Ind., during a survey of populations of the rare amphibian. Hellbenders, an aquatic animal that's North America's largest salamander, are endangered in Indiana and four other states and face habitat loss and other pressures in the 11 other mostly Eastern states where they live in swift-flowing, rocky rivers and streams. (AP Photo/Rick Callahan)

CORYDON, Ind. (AP) -- With a long, slimy body and beady eyes, North America's largest salamander wouldn't top any cutest animal lists. The hellbender's alien appearance and mysterious ways have earned the big amphibian a bad reputation and unflattering nicknames ranging from snot otter to devil dog.

But hellbenders, which can grow two or more feet long, are facing troubles bigger than an image problem. The aquatic creatures found only in swift-flowing, rocky rivers and streams are disappearing from large parts of the 16 states they inhabit.

The rare amphibians breathe almost entirely through their skin, making them a living barometer of water quality because of their sensitivity to silt and pollution, said Rod Williams, a Purdue University associate professor of herpetology who's tracked Indiana's hellbenders for nearly a decade.

"These are animals that live up to 30 years in the wild, so if you have populations declining, that alerts us that there could be a problem with the water quality," he said.

[littlemissmartypants]

1. I would hold it and love it.

Watching and caring for our coal mine canaries like this creature Should be a high priority. Lives 30 yrs.and we are just hinting at appreciating them. Thanks for the post. I am very glad to see someone engaging in helping these creatures. Our skin is our largest organ also and we forget that. Toxins and contaminated water can easily be the "death of us" as well.
Love, Peace and Shelter. Lmsp