Zoom into Nature: Hellbenders
495 بار بازدید -
6 ماه پیش
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The Rocky Road to Hellbender
The Rocky Road to Hellbender Recovery in Ohio
What’s slimy, wrinkly, up to two foot long, and living in Ohio’s rivers and streams? That would be the Eastern Hellbender, Ohio’s largest salamander. Breathing through their skin, Hellbenders spend their lives mostly under large rocks, where they feed on crayfish and other organisms they happen to encounter. In the late summer, male den masters welcome in females to lay their eggs in their nest, where the male attends to the developing eggs. Hellbenders have seen massive declines in their numbers throughout their range, including in Ohio, where our 2006–2010 surveys found 82% fewer individuals per person-hour searching compared to the first statewide survey in the mid-1980s. Since that time, recovery efforts have been ongoing, directed by an Ohio Conservation Plan for the species, and led by the Ohio Hellbender Partnership, with members from state and federal agencies, local soil and water conservation districts, zoos, universities, park districts, and land trusts. Since 2011, over 1,800 Hellbenders have been reared from wild-collected eggs and released back into the wild as three-year-old individuals to bolster populations. Come learn more about these amazing animals.
About Greg Lipps
Greg Lipps is the Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Coordinator at the Ohio State University. His career has taken him to nearly every corner of the state, conducting surveys and working with partners to develop and implement strategies for the conservation and recovery of a wide range of species. Recent work has focused on Eastern Hellbenders, Eastern Massasaugas, Blanding’s Turtles, and Spotted Turtles. Greg was a contributing author and editor of both the Amphibians of Ohio (2013) and Reptiles of Ohio (2021). He has held leadership roles in both the Midwest and Ohio chapters of Partners in Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (PARC). Greg was honored with PARC’s Alison Haskell Award for Excellence in herpetofauna conservation in 2017 and The Columbus Zoo’s Commitment to Conservation Award in 2023. A lifelong resident of Ohio, he resides in the Oak Openings Region of southeast Fulton County.
Aired lived: January 9, 2024
What’s slimy, wrinkly, up to two foot long, and living in Ohio’s rivers and streams? That would be the Eastern Hellbender, Ohio’s largest salamander. Breathing through their skin, Hellbenders spend their lives mostly under large rocks, where they feed on crayfish and other organisms they happen to encounter. In the late summer, male den masters welcome in females to lay their eggs in their nest, where the male attends to the developing eggs. Hellbenders have seen massive declines in their numbers throughout their range, including in Ohio, where our 2006–2010 surveys found 82% fewer individuals per person-hour searching compared to the first statewide survey in the mid-1980s. Since that time, recovery efforts have been ongoing, directed by an Ohio Conservation Plan for the species, and led by the Ohio Hellbender Partnership, with members from state and federal agencies, local soil and water conservation districts, zoos, universities, park districts, and land trusts. Since 2011, over 1,800 Hellbenders have been reared from wild-collected eggs and released back into the wild as three-year-old individuals to bolster populations. Come learn more about these amazing animals.
About Greg Lipps
Greg Lipps is the Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Coordinator at the Ohio State University. His career has taken him to nearly every corner of the state, conducting surveys and working with partners to develop and implement strategies for the conservation and recovery of a wide range of species. Recent work has focused on Eastern Hellbenders, Eastern Massasaugas, Blanding’s Turtles, and Spotted Turtles. Greg was a contributing author and editor of both the Amphibians of Ohio (2013) and Reptiles of Ohio (2021). He has held leadership roles in both the Midwest and Ohio chapters of Partners in Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (PARC). Greg was honored with PARC’s Alison Haskell Award for Excellence in herpetofauna conservation in 2017 and The Columbus Zoo’s Commitment to Conservation Award in 2023. A lifelong resident of Ohio, he resides in the Oak Openings Region of southeast Fulton County.
Aired lived: January 9, 2024
6 ماه پیش
در تاریخ 1402/10/20 منتشر شده
است.
495
بـار بازدید شده