Feds propose protection for giant salamanders devastated by Hurricane Helene

A giant salamander that evolved on the supercontinent Pangaea and outlived the dinosaurs has been proposed for federal protection by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The eastern hellbender would be protected under the Endangered Species Act if Friday's submission is adopted. The slimy brown amphibian is the largest in North America and one of two subspecies in the U.S. It inhabits the rocky beds of clear, cool rivers near the Appalachian Mountains. Its population in the U.S. has rapidly declined in recent decades. Dams, industry and flooding worsened by climate change and from Hurricane Helene have threatened its habitat and ability to reproduce and find food.