During Seneca Nation's annual hellbender population health survey, animals need to be measured, swabbed to submit samples for diagnostic testing, photographed, scanned for PIT (ID) tags, weighed, and given an overall health examination.

During Seneca Nation's annual hellbender population health survey, animals need to be measured, swabbed to submit samples for diagnostic testing, photographed, scanned for PIT (ID) tags, weighed, and given an overall health examination.

A hellbender in a container being measured
All this data is meticulously recorded. This hellbender had a history of being scanned previously several years prior to this day's fieldwork, making growth comparisons and health long-term evaluations possible.
Melissa Fadden