The sorry salamander.

• Position: STATELINE - Endangered species - Brief article

The hellbender salamander's numbers continue to decline in Missouri. And more are showing up with unexplained deformities such as missing or misshapen limbs, wounds that will not heal and skin lesions. The aquatic animals are considered endangered in Missouri, where the population of one subspecies has declined 70 percent over the past 10 years. Amphibians, according to experts, are often the first to show ill effects from environmental change. "If it is affecting...