OMG, look what I found, I got a pic of Hellbender!

[Joe Dillard]

During my recent trip to Missouri, I was skuffling through a creek bed & stumbled across Hellbender (Brad). He doesn't look so good these days. Not only that, his Jeep was nowhere in sight!

[Allen]

Ahem.....

DPOTDF please.

We need the traffic to be competative with the other forums.



Allen

[Joe Dillard]

Feel free to move it Allen (if you can). If not, I will add it over there & future responces will go along with it.

[Paradiddle]

Joe - that thing looks like a turd with legs.

Jeff

[Jerry Bransford]

WTF is that thing?

[Allen]

Originally posted by Joe Dillard
Feel free to move it Allen (if you can). If not, I will add it over there & future responces will go along with it.

I can't.

And I'm just giving you a hard time.

Allen

[Hellbender]

Originally posted by Jerry Bransford
WTF is that thing?

It truly is a "Hellbender", it's what I took my handle from.

We call them "Mud Dogs" or "Mud Puppies" around here. We see them at night in the local rivers, they normally get to be about 18" long or so, full grown.

They are a very large (slightly rare) salamander that has external gills (they are NOT air breathers). The one Joe has a pic of looks like the gills have dried up or been removed (when stuffed). I believe they are the largest salamander in the world, if I remember right..........

Didn't know I was so ugly, huh?

HB

[Daless2]

That thing is for real????????

What do you shoot it with?

Frank

[Hellbender]

Frank,

They actually live thier entire lives UNDERWATER, very odd creatures. They eat worms and grubs out of the bottom silt and sand.

Totally harmless, they are pretty rare, I've only seen 3 in the wild, and I was raised on the river.

I think I was mistaken on the largest size salamander, they are the largest in the Americas, but I think the Far East (China ???, maybe) has some bigger ones.

I think there are several species, also, there is also a true "Mud Puppie" but we lump them all together under one name.

HB