The Last Dragons
Running time: 10 minutes. Produced in Partnership with the U.S. Forest Service. 2014
Protecting Appalachia’s Hellbenders
An intimate glimpse at North America's Eastern Hellbender, an ancient salamander that lives as much in myth as in reality.... and in many waters, myths are all that remain of these sentinel stream-dwellers.
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Applicable Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) by grade level include:
Grades 3-5
Middle School
High School
Crosscutting Concepts
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Students will learn about one of North America’s largest and rarest salamanders, the Hellbender.
Students will learn about some of the most significant habitat changes that have contributed to Hellbender declines.
Students will learn how National Forests contribute to watershed conservation.
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Eastern Hellbender - North America’s largest salamander, reaching lengths over two feet. A fully aquatic species, Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) are also called Snot Otters and Lasagna-sides.
Shelter Rock/Nesting Rock - Large stones that Hellbenders will use to hide from predators (shelter) or lay and guard eggs (nesting).
Federally Listed - A species or subspecific population listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
Population - A group of organisms of a given species living within an area such that individuals can breed with one another.
Siltation - Sediments entering a body of water and filling in spaces in between the rocks on the bottom.
Sediment - Fine rocky particles including sand, silt, and clay.
Indicator Species - A species that is highly sensitive to changes in its environment and whose presence in an ecosystem indicates high environmental quality.
Watch the Film
In English. EN, ES closed captions optional (use 'CC' box in bottom control bar). Full screen viewing button on lower right.
Film Discussion and Reflection
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If you were trying to find a Hellbender in the wild, where would you look?
What habitat changes have contributed to Hellbender declines?
What actions can people take to protect Hellbenders when visiting their habitats?
Why are Hellbenders more likely to be found in National Forests?
Why do male Hellbenders become aggressive in the fall?
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If you live in Appalachia, where is the nearest stream with a population of Eastern Hellbenders? If you don’t live in this part of the world, what similar species are found in your region?
How do large amounts of sediment enter streams? What can be done to reduce this form of pollution?
Are the waterways in your community healthy? How can you tell or how would you find out?
What other species might use the same kind of habitat as Hellbenders?
If you came across a large pile of rocks in a stream or saw somebody building a pile, what would you do?
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Lori Williams - Wildlife Diversity Biologist, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Dr. Jeff Humphries – Wildlife Diversity Biologist, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Lorie Lewis-Stroup – Zone Fisheries Biologist, U.S. Forest Service
Images available to download for educational and classroom uses. Access more freshwater imagery at the Freshwaters Illustrated Archive.
Extended Exploration
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Use the link above to access and download a printable Hellbender model to cut out and assemble.
Designed by Matt Sloat. Produced with cooperation from US Forest Service - Nature Watch Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency North Carolina Wildlife Resources
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Eastern Hellbender - US Fish and Wildlife Service species page featuring a description of appearance and distribution as well as other documents related to its current ESA listing.
Hellbender Salamander - Species page curated by The Nature Conservancy.
Hellbender - The Hellbender profile page curated by the Smithsonian National Zoo.
Pisgah National Forest - Website of the Pisgah National Forest
Siltation - More information on siltation and ways to mitigate this problem from the Cumberland River Compact.
Don’t Move the Rocks - More information about moving rocks provided by Friends of the Smokies.
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Related Pages and Lessons
Tags: click a tag to view other film pages related to that subject.
