(LEX 18) — A rare eastern hellbender salamander was recently spotted and photographed by a biologist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources in an eastern Kentucky stream.
The department says the giant salamanders are rarely seen in the wild and are declining in numbers. It also mentions that hellbenders are a sign of a healthy ecosystem because they require clean water and a stable habitat.
A post from the department says that hellbenders spend most of their lives hiding under flat, large rocks in clean and fast-flowing streams, which makes it difficult for biologists to find them.
