Hellbenders are real, and now's your chance to get one on a best-selling ODNR T-shirt

Yes, hellbenders are real . And now's your chance to get the Buckeye State's largest salamander on a best-selling T-shirt from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Having sold out twice already, the T-shirt that proclaims "Hellbenders are real," part of ODNR's 75th anniversary collection , is back in stock. Here's how to buy one.

👕 RESTOCKED👕 Our 75th anniversary t-shirts are restocked and available to purchase in our online store 🎉 You can snag...

Posted by Ohio Department of Natural Resources on Friday, September 20, 2024

Ohio Department of Natural Resources uses hellbenders on 75th anniversary T-shirts in homage to Hell is Real sign

As part of its 75th anniversary celebration, ODNR put the hellbender on a T-shirt using the slogan "Hellbenders are real," an homage to the infamous Hell is Real sign on Interstate 71 between Cincinnati and Columbus, complete with an H that's a different color from the rest of the letters, just like the sign.

The T-shirts have proven popular. ODNR spokesperson Karina Cheung says they've sold out twice so far, first at the Ohio State Fair in late July and early August, and then shortly after they went live for online sales in late August. ODNR put in another order, which became available for purchase on Friday.

Hellbender salamanders, an endangered species, are a good indicator of water quality

Hellbenders, an endangered species, can grow as long as 27 inches, though most are 11.5 to 20 inches long, per ODNR . They're not the state's official amphibian, however. That honor belongs to the spotted salamander .

Found mostly in southern and eastern Ohio, hellbenders prefer large, swift streams where they hide under rocks during the day. They feed on crayfish, snails, minnows, insects and worms. Because hellbenders need clean, oxygen-rich water, they can be a good indicator of water quality and overall health of the stream, according to the Ohio State University Extension .

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium helping to repopulate the hellbender

Hellbender eggs are collected each year and sent to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, as well as the Toledo Zoo and the animal husbandry program at the Penta Career Center in Perrysburg, Ohio, where they are raised until age three, Farm and Dairy reports . From there, the salamanders are released back into the wild.

More than 1,900 hellbenders raised at these facilities have been released into Ohio waterways in the past 10 years, John Navarro, program administrator for the ODNR Division of Wildlife’s Aquatic Stewardship program, told the publication. And in 2023 came the first proof the program was working.

A hellbender raised at the Columbus Zoo and released in 2016 was discovered guarding a nest of eggs, Greg Lipps, amphibian and reptile conservation coordinator for The Ohio State University, wrote for the zoo .

"This was, of course, exactly what we had always hoped to see: an animal born and raised at a zoo, released back into the wild, going on to reproduce and help reverse the decline of this iconic species," Lipps wrote.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Hellbenders are real, and now's your chance to get one on a best-selling ODNR T-shirt