The Hellbender Hootenanny
Figure 1. A subdominant male challenges the denmaster. Whoever claims the den will have the best odds of mating with a female. This necessary pursuit can lead to violent endings.
Hellbenders are these weirdly compressed, slimy salamanders the size of a large hoagie sandwich. Their skin is warped and their eyes are bulging. There is nothing that looks quite like them. They spend most of their time hidden under large rocks in fast flowing rivers but for a couple of weeks every year, they emerge for their annual mating rituals. Large males guard den rocks from subdominant males. Females search for optimal mates and spawn deep within the dens. All of the hormones given off lead to some very interesting behaviors from the largest salamander in North America.
For the past three years, I have travelled up to North Carolina to photograph hellbenders during their mating season. This has been one of the highlights of my year and is always enhanced by the great company of great friends. The trip usually begins with some intensive scouting; we hike up and down fast flowing, clear water, forest streams with our masks and snorkels. We look for refrigerator sized rocks, parallel to the flow, and poke our heads underwater to hopefully see the iconic hellbender smile looking back up at us. Hellbenders utilize these large flat rocks as den sites as they provide the optimal amount of flow, and protection from predators, to spawn. Once we have found a few dens, we begin to setup for photography. The water is about 61°F (16°C) which may not seem too cold but the high flow and necessity for little movement means that you can get quite cold, quite fast. Learning from mistakes in the past, I brought with me an 8mm semi dry this year which made all the difference. The water depth is only a couple feet, but the thick wetsuit and rapid flow makes staying stationary very difficult. So, I threw a 40lb weight belt around my waist, left my fins in the car, and jumped in the water.
Immediately I remembered why I drove hundreds of miles, negotiated rapids and cold water, and managed dozens of pounds of gear. The clear water streams of Appalachia are stunning. Small minnows dance around sunset-colored rocks. Crayfish navigate through the current. Mussels feast upon microorganisms in the water column. And goofy faced salamanders peer up from rocky bottom.
Most salamanders are a few inches long, brightly colored, and look like they were designed by an artistic minimalist. Hellbenders can be up to two feet long, colored like the streamside rocks, and look like someone accidentally sat on a lizard. They are these bizarre animals with skin like lasagna and a face that is the epitome of cute. Despite the high current and threat of predators, hellbenders do a lot of sitting around. Most days snorkeling consisted of hours of staring at an individual waiting for it to make a move – sometimes, they never did.
Figure 2. The denmaster takes a moment to stretch during a lazy day in the river.
On this trip, I had asked Ikelite if I could demo their Sony a7CR and DLM/A housing. This set up is significantly smaller and higher resolution than my go-to Canon R6. I was eager to try the set up as the small size meant I could get lower and closer to the hellbenders and it would be significantly easier to traverse through the fast flowing streams. As soon as I opened the box, I knew how much of an improvement this would be.
I ended up spending about 20hrs over 4 days in the water watching hellbenders. I would climb in the water early morning, glue myself near a den, and wait for some action to take place. Most of the time, a den master would be guarding his rock while another male waited close by. The subdominant male would occasionally challenge the den master and earn himself a nip. But most frequently, they spent their time motionless, waiting for a female to arrive. I spent hours waiting and observing and saw some behaviors that were completely new to me.
Figure 3. A large hellbender peels its skin off like a glove. Similar to snakes, hellbenders shed their skin. As hellbenders respirate through their skin, this allows them to breath more efficiently. As an added bonus, the skin also serves as a nice snack.
I saw dozens of males during the trip, but only a few females. But when they were in the area, everyone was aware. After waiting for hours, suddenly, more males began showing up around the den. Movements would become more frequent, and territory was guarded fiercely. A female would come tromping down – swollen like an eggplant from all of her eggs. She would approach the den master, and they would have an intense stare down. After deciding she wasn’t a challenging male, the den master would grant her entry to the den. You would never know there were giant salamanders undeath the rock except for the occasional sand cloud that would come rolling out. The subdominant males would seize this opportunity, trying their best to crawl into the den and fertilize some of the eggs for themselves, this often resulting in the den master chasing them out and giving them a good bite. But what actually happened inside the den, only the salamanders know.
Figure 4.A. The den master guards his rather well selected den. B. A small hellbender gazes longingly at a beautifully chosen den before approaching. The denmaster will need to determine if the aggressor is a male he will need to fight or a female he can mate with. C. The smaller hellbender approached the den master and must decide to fight or flee. In this case, the smaller male turned away and swam back downstream.
Since I started photographing hellbenders, I have dreamt of an opportunity to photograph a slow shutter speed image of a fight. I utilized Ikelite’s TTL converter to shoot with rear-curtain sink, allowing me to capture motion and then freeze the subjects. Photographing hellbenders is a lot of sitting around and waiting. When action does happen, it is often very quick and very dramatic. After the four days spent in the water, I only had one opportunity to photograph a true fight. When I was least expecting it, two hellbenders came rolling down the river, locked jaws, and I was able to capture a frame that I had envisioned for years prior. There is lots of room for improvement but am very happy with how it turned out. For an animal that breathes through its skin and is so sensitive to water quality and habitat changes, it is spectacular to see how violent they can be.
Figure 6. Two hellbenders, locked mouth-to-mouth, roll down the river in a brawl reminiscent of dinosaurs.
On December 13th 2024, Hellbenders were proposed for listing as Endangered under the United States Endangered Species Act. Hellbenders have faced many threats but most of all, are being threatened by habitat loss and water quality degradation. Rain runoff from roads, developed lands, and agriculture carry sediment into streams and rivers which can suffocate eggs and reduce respiration of adults. Listing under the Endangered Species Act would make development in areas of critical habitat more difficult and increase punishments for killing Hellbenders.
The streams of Appalachia are reminiscent of times forgotten; filled with animals you’d only expect to see in the Amazon rainforest and natural history museums. If you can brave the cold, you’ll experience a world of shimmering fish, ancient stones, and giant salamanders. It is a place full of struggle and competition, where you are reminded of the constraints of instinct and primal drives. The hellbender is an icon of American biodiversity, a testament to the endurance of evolution, and a truly spectacular subject to photograph.
