Missouri hellbenders granted federal protection

Missouri's population of eastern hellbenders were granted federal Endangered Species Act protection on Monday.

Eastern hellbenders — the largest salamander in North America — can be found in watersheds in south-central parts of the state, as well as the Meramec River and its tributaries.

“Hellbenders desperately need the protections of the Endangered Species Act not only in Missouri, but everywhere they’re found,” said Brian Segee, a senior attorney at the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity.

Read more from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.