Hellbenders

The Eastern hellbender was raised at the St. Louis Zoo and released into the Gasconade River. Five years later, researchers found him guarding 86 eggs in the same place.

The male Ozark hellbender was raised at the St. Louis Zoo and released into the Current River in July 2019. Researchers found 128 eggs in October, and a later visit confirmed the eggs had hatched.

Missouri conservationists have reached an important milestone in their effort to save hellbender salamanders. In August, the number released into the wild topped 10,000. Scientists say it’s an important moment for the endangered species.

Hellbenders once thrived in cold, fast-moving Missouri streams, but their populations have plummeted since the 1980s.

Missouri’s population of hellbenders is in trouble. These aquatic salamanders have seen a 70% population decline in the state over the past four decades. Scientists now fear local extinction. We discuss a local effort to bring the hellbender back from the brink.

Have you noticed the millions of armadillos wandering around the St. Louis area and across Missouri this summer? Okay, maybe not millions, but they’re…

The Saint Louis Zoo is sharing its expertise in matchmaking ... for salamanders.It's part of the 7th Hellbender Symposium, which has drawn more than 100…

(Updated at 3:39 p.m., February 20)Missouri senators passed a resolution to block the federal government's proposed changes in tourist restrictions at the…

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: Environment Missouri, an environmental advocacy group, released the "Citizens' Guide to the Current…

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, March 6, 2013: Flat-headed, wriggly, covered in slime and looking like a cross between a lizard, a…