Hellbender Salamander Thrashes When Grabbed

Know one knows for sure why it has come to be colloquially called a “hellbender,” but this species of salamanders are, scientifically, some real big ol’ suckers. They are, no joke, like, over a foot long. An amphibian. Wrap your minds around that, people.

Enter this kid. He wades into this creek and spots one of them big ol’ suckers and decides he’s going to snag it by the tail. Now I’m no batrachologist (one who studies amphibians), but if I’m asked to grab something called a “hellbender,” on its turf, not mine no less, I suspect I might be balking at that proposition. Hey, to each their own, but it is certainly not my idea of a good time (if this kind of thing is your idea of a good time, please don’t @ us).

So the stage is set: the boy is going to introduce himself to said big ol’ sucker. He creeps towards it, gets himself set, then grabs it by the tail. The hellbender, obviously not too happy about being plucked from its watery chill spot against its will, begins to thrash about, even trying to bite the boy’s hand several times to regain its freedom. Everyone off camera laughs it up nervously, because if those chompers got a hold of the boy’s forearm, this would take a turn for the worst pretty quickly.

Eventually, the boy gets tired of his little game and drops the king of the salamanders back into the river. Everyone, except the creature, had fun, and despite the short interval of stress, no harm appeared done. In all seriousness, it’s important to respect these animals; their existence is threatened, so if you come across one, please leave them be.