cathedrals

Snot otter. Lasagna lizard.

Pick your favorite nickname for the Eastern hellbender salamander.

They’re the color of mud, and they can grow up to 2 feet long. People call them snot otters because they’re covered in a layer of slippery mucus. Or lasagna lizards, because the crinkly flap of skin on their sides that helps them absorb oxygen resembles a lasagna noodle.

Eastern hellbenders live throughout the Appalachian region in the United States. Their ancestors have been on earth for around 160 million years, but in the last several decades their numbers have dropped dangerously in several states, primarily due to habitat destruction. Eastern hellbenders are endangered in Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana.

VIDEO: Snot Otters Get A Second Chance In Ohio