Indiana biologists find young hellbender in wild for first time since at least the 1980s

Karl Schneider, Indianapolis Star
Updated ·5 min read

It's been decades since a young Eastern hellbender has been reported in the state, but researchers say a recent find in southern Indiana could be the first evidence that conservation efforts and a reintroduction program are on the right track.

Hoosier biologists are celebrating the June 21 discovery of a larval-stage hellbender, the first of its kind officially documented in Indiana since at least the 1980s. The hellbender, about two and a half inches long, was found in the Blue River.

The largest salamanders in the U.S., hellbenders have been on the decline in the state since the mid-1900s and are currently listed as endangered in Indiana. During the last population count in 2011, only about 200 were found.

A hellbender can grow to nearly 30 inches long, but the average size is about 12 to 20 inches. The Nature Conservancy describes the amphibian as having a face only a mother could love: "a broad flattened head, loose and wrinkled skin, small beady eyes and a paddle-like tail." Their mud-colored bodies also are covered in a layer of slime, leading to the unflattering nickname "snot otter."

The Eastern hellbender has a face 'only a mother could love,' according to The Nature Conservancy, one of the groups working to reintroduce the endangered salamander in Indiana.
The Eastern hellbender has a face 'only a mother could love,' according to The Nature Conservancy, one of the groups working to reintroduce the endangered salamander in Indiana.

The recent discovery is important because hellbenders are an indicator species — one of the first animals that disappear when water quality starts declining.

Biologists from Purdue University and DNR found the young hellbender in a section of the Blue River that winds through Washington, Harrison and Crawford counties. According to DNR, hellbenders are currently found only in an about 70-mile segment of the river. The amphibian was in its larval stage, which lasts about two years. The scientists estimated it was about eight months old.

The team is part of a larger partnership to reintroduce the species into Indiana and establish a stable population again.

Nick Burgmeier, project coordinator of the Hellbender Project based at Purdue’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, said researchers have not been sure if wild hellbenders were reproducing regularly and didn’t know if the eggs were hatching and surviving.

The discovery of the young hellbender in June is a positive sign, he said, that the project’s mission is working.

“This larval hellbender is the first larval hellbender ever reported in Indiana,” Burgmeier said. “Obviously there has to be some, but they’re very difficult to find. This indicates they are successfully recruiting.”

Working closely with DNR, the states of Ohio and Kentucky, and zoos in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Evansville, the Hellbender Project is rearing young and reintroducing them into the Blue River. The project is supported by The Nature Conservancy and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

DNR employee Zach Truelock (left) and Purdue University’s Nick Burgmeier found a young hellbender June 21, 2023, in its larval stage in the Blue River in southern Indiana. The discovery is a milestone in their work to restore the hellbender population. A hellbender this young has not been documented since the 1980s.
DNR employee Zach Truelock (left) and Purdue University’s Nick Burgmeier found a young hellbender June 21, 2023, in its larval stage in the Blue River in southern Indiana. The discovery is a milestone in their work to restore the hellbender population. A hellbender this young has not been documented since the 1980s.

Ohio and Kentucky wildlife officials collect eggs from wild and stable populations in their states for the reintroduction program.

Nate Engbrecht, herpetologist with DNR, said the project started releasing these hellbenders into a site in the Blue River in 2017. The team is not sure if the young hellbender they discovered is from the wild population, the reintroduced population or the product of a combination of both groups.

“Just a few weeks ago, we hit the 500 mark as far as the number of young hellbenders that had been released back into the wild,” Engbrecht said. “The idea is that we can get hellbenders past that vulnerable stage into the river to rebuild that population.”

Researchers document the discovery of a young hellbender found in southern Indiana's Blue River.
Researchers document the discovery of a young hellbender found in southern Indiana's Blue River.

Young hellbenders are prey to some fish and water snakes, and researchers said they wait to release them until they are large enough to escape those predators. The reintroduced young are placed in specified habitats that suit hellbenders. The large salamander mainly preys on crayfish, so the team made sure there were plenty in the area. The species also needs highly oxygenated, low-silt waters.

Researchers believe water degradation due to soil runoff and other pollutants are part of the problem hellbenders face in the state. Forest loss and mining and agricultural runoff could be playing a role in water degradation in the hellbender’s habitat. Young hellbenders typically stay on the river bottom between or under the pebbles and rocks there. When soil or silt is washed into the river, those spaces become too clouded and that could be affecting the survival of the young hellbenders.

“The lack of younger animals tells us something is breaking down during the reproductive or developmental cycle,” Engbrecht said.

As well as reintroducing the species, Burgmeier said the team is working with local farmers to use federal grant funding to encourage soil conservation tactics. These include a variety of options such as cover cropping during the winter, creating filter strips between agricultural lands and the river and putting up cattle fencing to keep the cattle away from the water in certain areas.

“Basically anything we can do to keep soil where it is and not in the river,” Burgmeier said.

The return of hellbenders also helps keep the ecology of the rivers in balance. Engbrecht said he thinks about wildlife in Indiana much like an orchestra.

A young hellbender, about eight months old, marks a milestone for biologist in Indiana. The species has been on the decline since the mid-1900s and the discovery of the young animal shows conservation efforts are headed in the right direction.
A young hellbender, about eight months old, marks a milestone for biologist in Indiana. The species has been on the decline since the mid-1900s and the discovery of the young animal shows conservation efforts are headed in the right direction.

“Every time you lose a species, it’s sort of like losing an instrument in the orchestra,” Engbrecht said. “And how many instruments can you lose before you no longer really recognize the song?”

All these efforts are focused along the Blue River because it’s the best location in the hellbender’s historic range. The animals used to be found along the Ohio River Basin.

Hellbenders are often confused with mudpuppies, which a Purdue report says are aquatic and rarely leave water. Mudpuppies, however, can be found in ponds, wetlands and creeks, according to the 2017 report. The other major difference: Mudpuppies have large gills behind their heads; hellbender larvae lose their gills at about two years and breathe through blood vessels in their skin, according to The Nature Conservancy.

Release efforts will continue next year with the team aiming to reintroduce 400 more hellbenders during the summer months. The team is looking for two benchmarks for a thriving population: two years of documented growth of young hellbenders at the release sites and one year of recruitment at a second site.

“So we are half way to accomplishing the first goal, but have not yet surveyed for larval hellbenders at a second site,” Engbrecht said. “That would be a next step for us.”

Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @karlstartswithk

IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Young hellbender, a state endangered species, discovered in Blue River