Columbus Zoo, The Wilds release over 100 endangered giant salamanders in eastern Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and The Wilds released more than 100 rare and endangered giant salamanders this summer into protected waterways in eastern Ohio.

According to a release from the zoo, 116 juvenile eastern hellbenders were released as part of a collaborative effort to recover the species.

Hellbenders, which reach up to two feet in length, are the largest amphibians in North America, nicknamed "snot otters" for their slippery protective coating, the zoo said.

The fully aquatic salamanders live under submerged rocks in Ohio’s streams. However, the zoo said decades of habitat loss, pollution and sedimentation caused dramatic declines in Ohio and neighboring states, putting the species at risk.

According to the release, the Columbus Zoo and The Wilds have releas