Don't Judge a Hellbender by its Name
May 1, 2017
Snot otters, old lasagna sides — Eastern hellbenders go by many different names. And despite the name, hellbenders are actually harmless. But they are threatened, which is why we're working to release healthy adults into the wild.
Check out a video of them swimming, floating, and sliding around in the World of Reptiles.
Read more about these curious creatures on The Washington Post: "they have been around far longer than humans. They are "living fossils" — some of the last surviving members of an ancient lineage. The ancestors of Hellbenders and their cousins, the giant salamanders of China and Japan, evolved when dinosaurs still roamed Earth. The lineage has persisted almost unchanged for some 65 million years."
Visit them in person at the World of Reptiles and come up with your own nickname.
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