How many ozark hellbenders are left

CITES is an international agreement between governments designed to prevent species from becoming endangered or extinct as a result of international trade. Collection within the United States and international trade of hellbenders is of growing concern, particularly as they become rarer and, consequently, more valuable.

Hellbenders Cryptobranchus alleganiensis are large salamanders up to 2 feet long found in rocky, fast-flowing streams and rivers of the eastern United States. Unlike most amphibians, they are strictly aquatic and spend no part of their life cycle on land.

Adults live under large rocks, coming out only to feed and mate. Hellbenders are long-lived animals, surviving up to 30 years in the wild. The species includes two subspecies: the Ozark hellbender C. Ozark hellbenders are found only in the streams of the Ozark Plateau in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. Ozark hellbenders were historically found in eight rivers. By the early s they were extirpated or at extremely low numbers in four of those rivers due to habitat alterations. The remaining four rivers all had healthy populations from the early s through the s.

During the s, however, populations in three of those rivers declined dramatically and essentially no hellbenders are left in the fourth. The North Fork of the White River was considered the stronghold of the Ozark hellbender in Missouri, supporting a large and stable population.

For example, in biologists captured 1, hellbenders within a 1. Throughout the s, surveyors also found high numbers. However, by , numbers of Ozark hellbenders had dropped dramatically, and the population for the entire river was estimated to be only Ozark hellbender populations have declined throughout their range, and no populations are now stable.

Only about individuals remain in the wild and those are spread out among three rivers in isolated populations. One information source Briggler et al. Hellbenders are habitat specialists that depend on constant levels of dissolved oxygen, temperature and water flow.

In we filed a scientific petition with the U. Fish and Wildlife Service to list Southeast aquatic, riparian and wetland species as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, including the hellbender.

The last administration failed to protect many species on the brink of extinction. Help save them now. The Ozark hellbender is a subspecies of hellbender native to streams of the Ozark plateau in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. In the Service finally proposed to list the Ozark hellbender as endangered but refused to grant critical habitat. News Release Oct. Federal Register Final Rule Oct. West, Suite Bloomington, MN Enter Search Term s :.

Your browser doesn't support the HTML audio tag. You can still download the podcast, though! If you see a hellbender, leave it alone and consider yourself very lucky for getting a glimpse of this rare species. Back to Science and Nature Index. We have a golden opportunity to save the few remaining scenic and wild rivers as part of our nation's heritage for this and coming generations. Croix River. Box Van Buren , MO Explore This Park. Ozark National Scenic Riverways Missouri.