Hellbenders might sound like they're scary creatures, but they're just little aquatic salamanders. 🥹 Check out some fun facts about Ozark hellbenders in our first not-so-scary animal series. Want to learn more about this interesting species and the work being done to increase their numbers in the wild? Watch "Raising Hellbenders" now. 📹 https://mutualofomaha.co/3zUgiWb | Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom

In the wild, hellbender diets mainly consist of crayfish, small fish and aquatic invertebrates. Adult hellbenders here at the Saint Louis Zoo are offered these same food items in an attempt to mimic their natural diet. In addition to these items, keepers offer our hellbenders a wide range of other food items throughout the week to ensure healthy development. These include frozen items such as smelt, krill, mysis shrimp, brine shrimp and bloodworms. Our hellbenders are also offered additional liv

Growing hellbenders eat almost every day; however, keepers will not feed them their first meals until they are roughly 2 months old. For those first couple of months, baby hellbenders absorb their yolks for nutrients. After the first meals are offered, keepers watch for 💩to make sure all babies have fully formed digestive tracts. – Patty Bueckendorf, Hellbender Keeper Watch Patty feed the babies their first meal! A delicious serving of blackworms, which are small live worms. #HelpingHellbenders