Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know the Eastern hellbender is now our official state amphibian.

It’s the largest salamander in North America and actually does live under rocks. Although it’s not endangered, its population is declining. So why should people care about a big nocturnal salamander, also nicknamed the devil dog, the mud devil and, my personal favorite, the snot otter?

Sign of the Salamander: The hellbender puts a face (an arguably ugly one) on river quality, habitat health, TheBurg, June 2019