Dec. 7, 2012

The eastern hellbender, a large aquatic salamander that can reach 24 inches in length, has remained largely unchanged since the age of the dinosaurs. Hellbender populations have been in rapid decline across the majority of their range, but the first controlled breeding of any hellbenders using biotechnology may help save the species from extinction.

College of Veterinary Medicine faculty members Carla Carleton and Dalen Agnew have been collaborating on the multi-year captive breeding project led by Dale McGinnity of the Nashville Zoo.

For more information, see the Nashville Zoo’s official news release.