Each hellbender Dr. Peter Petokas and his student helper Spencer found in the wild in mid July was checked to see if it was an animal he had previously identified. They weighed, measured, inspected and samples were taken to test for vari - ous pathogens. Data was meticulously recorded before each was released to the exact spot it was found.
trends at sites where habitat is still sufficient to sustain populations in the Susquehanna watershed. As he and the student meticulously re - turned each hellbender back to the specific crevice under the rock from which it was collected, Petokas glanced over the creek. “This stretch is likely the best hellbender habitat in our watershed – perhaps in our country,” he said. “To think the hellbender used to thrive across our whole watershed like this and now, we only have a few small pockets of ideal habitat left.” Status check The Eastern hellbender – the PA state am - phibian – is the largest salamander in U.S. It can grow up to 30 inches long and near -
ly five pounds in weight and lives in the wa - ter – usually under the same rock for all of its life, which can span multiple decades under ideal conditions. “They prefer fairly large streams with clean water that have a stable food chain and an abundance of crayfish. They require water - ways with large rocks – like rocks the size of cars – and those rocks must be kept clean. Fine sediment in the waterway can bury those rocks,” said Petokas. “Habitat is critical for this creature, and if it is present, it is an indicator of clean water conditions.” On the whole, he relayed that the Susque - hanna River basin once was home to the species in the West Branch, North Branch, main stem and its tributaries. Continued on next page
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