800 Hellbenders With Large Mouths and Strong Jaws Freed into Missouri Waters, Zoo Says
More than 800 giant salamanders with mouths so big and jaws so strong that they can swallow fish whole have been released into Missouri rivers.
The endangered Ozark and eastern hellbenders were raised from eggs at the Saint Louis Zoo before they were freed this summer as part of the zoo’s hellbender conservation program, according to the zoo’s Wednesday blog post.
The selected hellbenders were “thoughtfully chosen” by experts who evaluated their age, health, sex and native river, the zoo said, with a goal of maximizing how many of the hellbenders survive and reproduce…
Read more: https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article254261968.html