SierraScape December 2010 - January 2011
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National Fish and Wildlife Service aim to list as an endangered sub-species

by Matt Rosales
Contributing Member

The Mark Twain National Forest in southern Missouri is the perfect setting for any postcard photograph. With its clear water streams, tall pine forests, stands of hardwood trees, and an abundance of caves, the area is home to a wide range of biodiversity. One of the strangest animals to call this place home may be the Ozark Hellbender. It has been said that the hellbender is so ugly that it must be something that crawled out of hell. The brown salamander grows to a full length of about 18 inches; it is wrinkled and sometimes covered in a layer of mucus. However the large salamander got its name, it is harmless to humans. In fact, most people, unless they are near a stream at night, will not ever encounter the nocturnal hellbender.

As the sun sets over the ridges of the Missouri foot hills the landscape transforms into another world; the air thickens as fog rolls in from misty lowlands and surrounding streams. Various animals such as raccoons, frogs, and coyotes awaken and start the night by foraging for food - the hellbender does likewise. It is this time of night that crayfish, the hellbender's favorite food, crawls out from under the protection of the rocky crevices that it calls home. Since the hellbender is nocturnal, most of the sightings of it are reported by giggers, people who spear fish at night, although sightings have been on the decline since the 1980s.

The health of hellbender populations in our streams can tell us a great deal about the overall health of the stream from which they come. Hellbenders are extremely sensitive to pollutants because they breathe through their skin, thus absorbing any pollutants that may be floating about the river.

Since hellbenders breathe through their skin, they require streams that contain an abundance of oxygen. Swift running water, especially when it tumbles down something like a waterfall, causes oxygen bubbles to saturate the stream. A healthy salamander population also tells us that its food sources are healthy.

In Missouri, as well in other states, the hellbender numbers have been decreasing for various reasons.

Population growth near habitat areas have caused problems like increased septic tank runoff, fertilizers, siltation from ATV use and expansion of gravel roads. The Jacks Fork River is just one such river that has lost its entire hellbender population due to these environmental factors. The tourism trade in this area has paralleled the growth of the surrounding communities. Tourism in the Jacks Fork area is based on the number of canoes that are turned loose on the river each day. Many of the people who use the river recreationally do not understand the environmental impact that they have by simply being there. During the day, hellbenders like to take refuge under rocks, and can be killed if a person unknowingly steps on that rock.

The picturesque landscapes of the Ozark corridor attract many recreationalists for various activities. Currently the Missouri Department of Conservation is trying to foster the growth of outdoor recreation in the area of fishing by introducing non-native fish, such as trout, for sport fishing into the hellbender habitats. The introduction of such fish can ruin the habitat of the hellbender by out-competing the salamander for food. Salmomids like the trout are also predators and eat hellbender eggs and larvae.

Does entertainment justify the extinction of a species?

The hellbenders are being forced to live in smaller portions of these beautiful rivers and that creates a biological problem. Hellbender populations are being disconnected from each other; this causes greater population inbreeding and less genetic diversity. Most of those small habitats are being affected by Chytrid fungus. This fungus has been known to wipe out entire hellbender populations in captivity. Organizations like the St. Louis Zoo and the Mammoth Spring Hatchery attempted to breed hellbenders in captivity in an effort to restore hellbender numbers but results have been unsuccessful.

Recently, the National Fish and Wildlife Service, has decided to try to list the Ozark Hellbender as an endangered sub-species. This will make an extra step to thwart illegal collection of the hellbender for sale in the pet trade. However the proposed rules for listing it as an endangered sub-species did not include protection for critical habitat. The decline of the hellbender is a direct result of the degradation of the water quality in the rivers of the Ozark Corridor. We must protect Missouri's clear water rivers or we may lose them.