What happens to hellbenders during a geological event like a hurricane?
The puddles along some roads were already over a foot deep during evening rush hour traffic in Asheville, North Carolina, on Wednesday, September 25. The slow but steady showers that began only an hour earlier were stalled along a cold front that aligned perfectly with the Blue Ridge Mountains. This front was pulling moisture in from the edges of Hurricane Helene which was still 30 hours from landfall in Florida.
As Helene approached from the south on Thursday, September 26, the rain got heavier and continued to stall due to the holding cold front. As darkness set in, mountain streams and rivers began overflowing their banks. Roads and nearby towns started to flood. The heaviest rain from Helene had yet to come. By noon on Friday, September 27, Asheville’s River Arts District was submerged, and floodwaters were breaching rooftops in neighboring towns.
From September 25 to 27, the region got more than 8 inches of rain with some areas getting more than 2 feet. And then there were the winds with gusts as high as 80 mph. This volatile combination caused one of the most devasting weather events in N.C.’s history and claimed some 103 human lives.
As recovery continues, we are just now beginning to ask what became of the wildlife we work so hard to protect.
Are animals equipped to survive hurricanes and flooding?
Wildlife can adapt to survive storms and other changes in their environment. They’ve been doing so for millennia, though some do so easier than others.
In freshwater ecosystems, for example, fish can hide behind rocks and logs along the banks of a creek to weather a storm. Smaller fish, salamanders and immobile mussels, have a tougher time escaping harm's way, especially if they are further downstream where flooding, fast water and debris are more severe.
Eastern hellbender salamanders’ long flat bodies help them hide under large rocks to avoid strong currents and floating debris during flood events. Strong storms with heavy flooding, however, can displace them and their nest rocks. Additionally, hellbenders breathe through their skin as adults and need clean, highly oxygenated water to survive, which is a problem when the creeks fill with sediment and pollution.
What makes this more dire is many of these species — including eastern hellbenders, which were just proposed for listing as endangered under the Endangered Species Act — are already imperiled with populations in decline due to habitat loss from sedimentation, pollution and habitat destruction. So, while these species may be equipped with adaptations to survive an occasional hurricane and flood, regularly occurring events like these or a rare geological event like Helene, can drastically reduce their numbers and ability to bounce back.
Did hellbenders survive Helene?
Hellbenders have survived for millions of years, including the extinction event that took the dinosaurs, but their populations have been plummeting throughout their range in the eastern United States.
We know many adult hellbenders did not survive the initial blow of Helene. We will likely lose more over time due to Helene’s habitat destruction. When Helene hit, male hellbenders known as “den masters” were guarding the eggs they fertilized under large nest rocks. We know some nest rocks were displaced, flipped over or carried downstream along with hellbender egg clutches. We have yet to hear of a nest that survived Helene.
We helped conduct surveys in the weeks leading up to the geological event, but few have happened since. We won’t know the full extent of their survival until it is safe enough to don snorkel gear and search for hellbenders.
What happened to hellbender habitat?
Sediment and contaminants entered the waterways very quickly. Some rivers have been rearranged or restructured with most rocks smaller than a boulder swept downstream to some degree. Riverbanks have been scoured in some places and built up with new gravel in others. Trees are in the rivers causing logjams and channels have been created. At one known hellbender nest rock sight, the entire section of stream is gone.
What is next for hellbenders?
Organizations, state and federal agencies, and universities are banding together to study the impact of Helene on hellbenders and their habitat over the coming year. There are surveys scheduled for the spring and summer. The North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission has excellent baseline data for this species from surveys Defenders helped conduct over the years.
Also, if eastern hellbenders are listed as endangered under the ESA, they would gain access to other resources for their protection and recovery.
You can help hellbenders
Public information regarding hellbender sightings is enormously helpful. If you find a hellbender leave it alone but take a photo and note the location. Then, email lori.williams@ncwildlife.org with the information. If you catch one while fishing, carefully remove the hook if it’s safe to do so without hurting the animal or cut the line as close to the hook as possible. Then, return the hellbender to the water and report the sighting.
Follow Defenders of Wildlife to stay connected and informed about hellbender issues. The next time you visit in Asheville, stop by the Asheville Sandwich Company and buy a “Hellbender Shake.” They have partnered with Defenders to raise awareness about and resources for hellbenders.
If you are interested in volunteering in 2025 email Defenders’ southeastoffice@defenders.org. Defenders is also working to gain additional funding for hellbender research and other imperiled species in North Carolina. If able, please consider donating to help us save these species.
Help prevent, or at least lessen, the impacts of future natural disasters
For folks living near waterways, plant trees and vegetation along the banks to help keep the soil stable. If you don’t have streams on your property, spread the word to others who do or volunteer to plant trees along waterways in public parks and spaces near you. Also, avoid constructing homes and other structures and using harmful chemicals like herbicides along rivers, creeks and in floodplains.
This is the first installment of our new series, Animals in the Aftermath. Stay tuned as we continue to explore the impacts of Helene and other natural disasters on birds, terrestrial salamanders and other species in North Carolina and beyond.
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