HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania is getting an official amphibian, a nocturnal, unsightly salamander that’s sometimes known as a snot otter, lasagna lizard or mud devil. The path to legislative recognition was not smooth, as the Eastern hellbender faced a stiff challenge from another amphibian called Wehrle’s salamander. Members of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s student leadership council began the campaign to designate it as the state’s official amphibian, and their efforts were aided by Lycoming College’s Clean Water Institute. Their numbers have since been decimated in Eastern states by pollution and sedimentation, researchers say. Hellbenders do not have federal protected status, and while some states give them protected status, Pennsylvania does not.

Source: Huffington Post April 16, 2019 19:41 UTC