Hellbenders: The Last Dragons

Hellbenders: The Last Dragons

• Salamanders that blend into water and rocks

• Symbol of Appalachian Mountains

• Spaces between rocks provide cover

• Around August or early September, males fight each other for nesting rocks, and females find the best rocks and mate with those males

• Almost all gone from Appalachian streams

• Lost 80-90% of populations

• Silt accumulates in rivers, fills rock cavities, stops hellbender from being able to hide

• Without National Forests, hellbenders would likely be extinct

• Although we want people to enjoy the outdoors, we need to leave the environment as we found it

• Throwing rocks kill hellbenders

• Sign put up to stop throwing rocks

• Hellbenders look a bit like dinosaurs