Impact on Other Animals

Predation: While adult hellbenders face few natural predators, their eggs and larvae can be consumed by fish, birds, and other aquatic animals. The decline of hellbenders could also have cascading effects on the river's ecosystem, disrupting predator-prey relationships and altering the food web (Gall, 2016; Nickerson et al., 2017).

Invasive Species: Non-native species, particularly predatory fish or those that compete for food and shelter, pose a significant threat to hellbender populations. For example, non-native fish such as bass can prey on juvenile hellbenders or outcompete them for food resources (Gall, 2016; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2019).