Environmental Threats

Pollution: The primary environmental threat is pollution, particularly from agricultural runoff containing pesticides, fertilizer, and other chemicals that contaminate their aquatic habitat. This reduces water quality and disrupts the delicate ecosystem on which the hellbender depends (Briggler, n.d.; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2019; Gall, 2016). 

Sedimentation: Erosion caused by deforestation or urban development increases sedimentation in rivers. This sedimentation can bury the rocks where hellbenders lay their eggs, reducing available habitat and hindering their ability to breathe, as they rely on clean, well-oxygenated water over rocks (Nickerson et al., 2017; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2019). 

Water Temperature and Flow Changes: Climate change and human-made infrastructure, like dams, can alter water temperature and flow, making it more difficult for hellbenders to find suitable living conditions. Hellbenders are cold-water species, and they require stable, cool water to survive (Center for Biological Diversity, 2020; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2019).