Hellbenders are an intrinsic part of the ecosystem and are really cool creatures.
They are solitary animals that only gather during breeding season. Hellbenders live under rocks or logs and are nocturnal which led them to develop poor eyesight. Because of their poor eyesight their sense of smell is their main weapon when hunting for crayfish and other small fish, which they then consume by sucking the animal into their mouth vacuum style. They also have a lateral line similar to that of fish which helps them to track prey by sensing vibrations in the water. Hellbender’s bodies also have light sensors all over their skin to ensure that when hiding under rocks all of their body is hidden. Hellbenders are also covered in excellent camouflage as well as a thick layer of slime that tastes bad to predators and acts as a deterrent. The slime doubles as a way for hellbenders to protect themselves against pathogens in the water. In the wild hellbenders can grow to 29 inches long and can weigh up to 5 pounds. They have been known to live up to 25 years outside of captivity.
They are solitary animals that only gather during breeding season. Hellbenders live under rocks or logs and are nocturnal which led them to develop poor eyesight. Because of their poor eyesight their sense of smell is their main weapon when hunting for crayfish and other small fish, which they then consume by sucking the animal into their mouth vacuum style. They also have a lateral line similar to that of fish which helps them to track prey by sensing vibrations in the water. Hellbender’s bodies also have light sensors all over their skin to ensure that when hiding under rocks all of their body is hidden. Hellbenders are also covered in excellent camouflage as well as a thick layer of slime that tastes bad to predators and acts as a deterrent. The slime doubles as a way for hellbenders to protect themselves against pathogens in the water. In the wild hellbenders can grow to 29 inches long and can weigh up to 5 pounds. They have been known to live up to 25 years outside of captivity.
MARVIN: THE OLDEST KNOWN LIVING HELLBENDER
When the Columbus Zoo donated a 200-gallon aquarium to Captina Conservancy, the goal was to be able to house a hellbender salamander—likely to be a young juvenile from the state’s hellbender program who was unable to be released to the wild for some reason. Little did we know that we would be graced with the presence of not only a full-grown adult, but also the oldest known hellbender on record!
Marvin has been the star of several Captina Conservancy events since her arrival in March 2021, teaching children and adults alike about hellbenders, their habitats, and activities. She also features prominently in Captina’s social media (Facebook and Instagram: FriendsofCaptinaCreek), and can be found on her own TikTok channel: @MarvinDoingNothing. She is cared for by a team of volunteer students from Olney Friends School as well as Captina Conservancy staff.
Email contact@captina.org to make an appointment to see Marvin for yourself!
Marvin has been the star of several Captina Conservancy events since her arrival in March 2021, teaching children and adults alike about hellbenders, their habitats, and activities. She also features prominently in Captina’s social media (Facebook and Instagram: FriendsofCaptinaCreek), and can be found on her own TikTok channel: @MarvinDoingNothing. She is cared for by a team of volunteer students from Olney Friends School as well as Captina Conservancy staff.
Email contact@captina.org to make an appointment to see Marvin for yourself!
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follow Marvin on tik tok @marvindoingnothing
Marvin's Story
When the late noted naturalist and hellbender expert Ralph Pfingsten found Marvin under the first rock, he turned over in Salt Creek, while conducting his 1985-1988 statewide survey of hellbenders, he thought “well this is going to be easy”. Unfortunately for him, he would not find another hellbender for a year. His survey would also lead hellbenders to become classified as endangered in the state of Ohio. Ralph and his family would diligently care for Marvin for the next 36 years until Ralph’s death in March of 2021. That is when Captina Conservancy stepped in to give Marvin a new home! While Ralph was still living, he found through blood work that Marvin was not in fact a male but a female. By that time though Marvin’s name had stuck. Marvin was estimated to be 5 years old at the time of her capture making her older than 40!
Marvin is the oldest known hellbender on record and an irreplaceable part of our conservancy.
Marvin is the oldest known hellbender on record and an irreplaceable part of our conservancy.
MArvin's HOMe
As an Eastern Hellbender, Marvin is part of the largest salamander species in North America and can mostly be found from Northern New York to northern Georgia and as far west as Northern Missouri. Hellbenders have very specific habitat needs and only thrive in the cleanest of fast-moving water with high oxygen content. Hellbenders must have substrate composed of gravel and sand, there must also be an abundance of large flat rocks for the hellbenders to live and breed under. Due to human involvement in the natural world their numbers have greatly declined putting them on the IUCN Red List as near threatened. The biggest threat to their survival is degradation of water quality as well as general habitat loss. There are efforts to conserve hellbenders such as catch and release of hellbenders eggs so they can be re-introduced to the environment when they are older and more likely to survive. In addition, there are efforts to make the hellbenders plight more well known by not only conservationists but also by states, such as Pennsylvania which made the eastern hellbender their state amphibian. One way you can help care for these valuable parts of our ecosystem is by mitigating use of pesticides and other harmful waste that could enter the rivers through tributaries. Limiting disturbance of riverbeds as well as planting native species and trees on riverbanks to prevent buildup of sediment is also extremely beneficial to hellbenders.
Learn more about hellbenders in Ohio:
- Amphibians of Ohio Field Guide (ODNR)
- Helping hellbenders thrive in their habitat (Farm and Dairy)
- Amphibian & Reptile Conservation: Hellbender (The Ohio State University)
