OFFICIALS SEEK DATA ON HELLBENDERS

JEFFERSON CITY -- Once you've seen an Ozark hellbender, you never forget what it looks like. That's good news for the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), because it's asking residents to report sightings of hellbenders, and encouraging anglers to release any they catch accidentally.

Hellbenders are members of a group of animals known as giant salamanders. Although they are dwarfed by Asiatic relatives that grow to 5 feet long, they are huge by North American standards. Missouri has produced 2-foot hellbenders, and the Allegheny Mountain region has produced specimens measuring 29.6 inches.

The hellbender's significance goes beyond size, however. It is a candidate for listing as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because of apparent population declines.

"We really don't know its current status in Missouri," said MDC Endangered Species Coordinator Dennis Figg. "We haven't taken a survey in 15 years, but we do know that the species has practically disappeared from Arkansas wars."

During the last survey in Missouri, hellbenders were doing well. But their recent decline in Arkansas has caused some concern in Missouri. MDC will start a distribution survey this summer.

"We think the hellbender is doing okay here, but the survey will let us know for sure," said Figg. "During the survey, we'll go underwater with masks, snorkels, perhaps even scuba gear, and if we find them scattered throughout good habitat, we'll know there's no cause for concern. If we don't see any or we see them at long intervals, we may have a problem."

Hellbenders have broad, flat heads and small, lidless eyes. Their skin is a dark, mottled gray to brown and has pronounced folds along the sides of the body. Their tails are flattened and rudder-like. Young hellbenders have a single gill extending out one side of the head, but this is lost after about two years.

Figg said his office is very interested in hearing from people who encounter hellbenders. "We're especially asking cold-water giggers to keep their eyes open," he said. "They may have more of an opportunity to see hellbenders than anyone else."

Figg is only interested in recent sightings, since reports from years past won't reveal anything about the animals' current status. To report a recent sighting of a hellbender, contact: Missouri Department of Conservation, Natural History Division, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, Mo., 65102-0180. Phone: (314) 751-4115.

Hellbenders live under flat rocks in swift, clear streams. They are known to inhabit the Current, Niangua, North Fork and Black rivers.

Their diet of crayfish, minnows and other small animals sometimes gets them in trouble, because they are prone to nibbling at earthworms or other bait at the end of anglers' lines. Although hellbenders are quite harmless, their appearance is so strange and unappetizing that some anglers kill them in disgust. That's a shame said Figg.

"They aren't pretty, but they couldn't hurt anyone," he said. "If you don't want to touch one to unhook it, you can just cut the line. The hook eventually will be dislodged or rust away."