{"id":42130,"date":"2026-09-22T16:14:33","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T20:14:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/?p=42130"},"modified":"2026-09-22T16:14:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T20:14:33","slug":"minecraft-meets-the-hellbender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/minecraft-meets-the-hellbender\/","title":{"rendered":"Minecraft Meets the Hellbender"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Research<\/a>

Sherri Reinsch, research associate and hellbender husbandry coordinator gently handles a hellbender in the lab. (Photo provided by Purdue Agricultural Communications)<\/p><\/div>\n

Purdue Stories:<\/em><\/a> This amphibious rock star gets its own educational video game with the help of Purdue research.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The eastern hellbender salamander will never win a wildlife beauty pageant. It\u2019s believed that it got its name from settlers who said it looked like a creature from hell that was \u201chell-bent\u201d on going back there. But it turns out that the hellbender could probably win the pageant\u2019s talent contest because of all the good it does for the ecosystem.<\/p>\n

Purdue research has revealed that the hellbender is one salamander that just might capture your heart.<\/p>\n

Once endangered in Indiana and at risk in other parts of America, the hellbender does so much good that it inspired its own custom-built Minecraft experience. Yes, Minecraft \u2014 the one with its own movie starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa, and millions of players from every single country worldwide.<\/p>\n

Helped by Boilermaker researchers first organized by Rod Williams, a former Purdue professor now on the faculty at Texas Tech University, \u201cHelp the Hellbender \u2014 A Minecraft Conservation Quest\u201d was created for the Minecraft Education realm.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/a>


At left, a real-live hellbender salamander poses for the camera. Its Minecraft counterpart is pictured on the right. (Provided by the Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources)<\/p><\/div>\n

This new game lets players traverse the hellbender\u2019s underwater world, overcoming challenges and learning about why we all need to protect this superstar amphibian, whose health helps reveal the health of rivers and streams.<\/p>\n

With millions of young Minecraft lovers around the world, the game is an ideal vehicle to reach middle schoolers and high schoolers \u2014 its target audiences.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hoped that those students will discover not only a fascination with this lovable amphibian, but also a sense of environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n

Roni Bullock, a senior Purdue Extension educator and forestry and natural resources graduate student, who has written lesson plans for teachers to use in combination with the game, says she sees the Minecraft game-based learning experience as a digital adventure that connects young minds to the living systems that sustain them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hellbender might not look glamorous,\u201d she says with a laugh, \u201cbut once you get to know it, you realize how much it tells us about the health of our rivers and streams. It\u2019s a perfect species to show why protecting water matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

A living water-quality monitor<\/strong><\/p>\n

Looking like very slimy, super-overgrown tadpoles \u2014 their unique nicknames include \u201csnot otter\u201d and \u201cwater dog\u201d \u2014 hellbenders can grow up to 2 feet long and weigh nearly 5 pounds.<\/p>\n

You might notice that the hellbender\u2019s wrinkly skin looks a bit like wet lasagna noodles. That\u2019s because it lives underwater and breathes through its skin. This also is a main reason it\u2019s so vital to humans. Because it absorbs oxygen through its skin, it\u2019s a living water-quality monitor \u2014 a sentinel \u2014 for the health and purity of waterways.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/a>

(Photo provided by the Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources.)<\/p><\/div>\n

When hellbenders get sick or fail to reproduce, water conservationists know they need to figure out what\u2019s wrong with their watery habitat and then work to fix it.<\/p>\n

Jason Hoverman, professor of vertebrate ecology in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources in Purdue\u2019s College of Agriculture, says hellbenders are coming back in Indiana after their numbers were estimated at less than 1,000 before 2010. He says their comeback story is all about teamwork.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve released over 1,000 hellbenders into Indiana streams in the last decade and, just two summers ago, we found the first evidence that they\u2019re reproducing again,\u201d he says. \u201cThat was huge. It meant the population was not just surviving \u2014 it was recovering.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/a>

At left, Purdue research technician Faith Dunlap releases a hellbender into Indiana\u2019s Blue River in the summer of 2025. At right, Jason Hoverman, professor of vertebrate ecology, participates in the same hellbender release. The Blue River is a two-forked stream that runs through Harrison, Crawford and Washington counties. (Provided by the Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources)<\/p><\/div>\n

The hellbender makes a comeback<\/strong><\/p>\n

The recovery is no accident. \u201cIt\u2019s been a massive partnership,\u201d Hoverman says. \u201cWe work with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, several zoos and nonprofits. Everyone\u2019s doing their part to make sure this species has a future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The collaboration even stretches beyond Indiana, linking scientists and conservationists across more than a dozen states in the hellbender\u2019s range from New York to Georgia.<\/p>\n

Hoverman and his team study the eastern hellbender, found mostly in the cold, rocky streams of southern Indiana near the Kentucky border. \u201cThey used to be found farther north,\u201d he says, \u201cbut as water quality declined and habitats changed, their range shrank.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, much of the work focuses on protecting and restoring those last strongholds \u2014 particularly the Blue River, where Purdue scientists monitor conditions closely. \u201cIt\u2019s encouraging; overall, the water quality there has really improved,\u201d Hoverman says.<\/p>\n

But the battle isn\u2019t over. Farming practices that strip soil from fields can send clouds of mud into streams, filling in the under-rock crevices where hellbenders stay hidden from predators and protect their eggs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have bare farm fields and heavy rain, that soil can just slide into the river,\u201d Hoverman says. \u201cIt\u2019s like a mudslide filling in all the spaces they need to live.\u201d He says the solution can be surprisingly simple: planting cover crops and buffer strips of trees at the edges of farm fields to retain soil and nutrients. \u201cThose practices help farmers, too \u2014 they conserve soil and nutrients, so everyone wins.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoverman sees the hellbender as an essential messenger: \u201cWhen hellbenders are thriving, it means our water is clean enough for us to thrive, too. If we take care of them, we\u2019re really taking care of ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jason Hoverman, professor of vertebrate ecology; Sherri Reinsch, research associate and hellbender husbandry coordinator; and Zach Kellogg, graduate research assistant in forestry and natural resources, in the Purdue Aquaculture Research Lab north of the West Lafayette campus. (Provided by the Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources)<\/p><\/div>\n

Learning species conservation through play<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Minecraft\u2019s virtual gaming platform enables players to dive into the world of the hellbender, Bullock wants to make sure those players resurface with a purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they play, students get to experience three different roles,\u201d Bullock says. \u201cThey\u2019ll choose to be a wildlife biologist working in the field, a lab researcher helping raise hellbenders in captivity or a conservationist collaborating with local landowners. And at the end, they can actually become the hellbender itself, experiencing how human activities affect its world.\u201d<\/p>\n

By taking on those roles, players will experience the problems as well as the possibilities. \u201cI want students to see that people really do have an impact on the environment around them,\u201d Bullock says. \u201cBut I also want them to feel empowered \u2014 to realize that they can make a difference. Whether it\u2019s through farming practices that prevent runoff or by pursuing careers in conservation biology, these are all ways to help protect wildlife and clean water.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bullock\u2019s lesson plan will become part of Purdue Extension\u2019s signature curriculum for teachers nationwide \u2014 and even internationally.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s free for teachers everywhere, and anyone can download it,\u201d Bullock says. \u201cThe lesson I\u2019ve written is designed to pair with the game so that teachers can engage students and draw out the key concepts afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her lesson plan will soon be available on Purdue Extension\u2019s Nature of Teaching website as well as the Help the Hellbender homepage. \u201cWe want it to be easy; just click, play and learn,\u201d Bullock says.<\/p>\n

For the Purdue scientists behind the project, the goal extends far beyond the screen. Every student who plays and every teacher who shares the lesson helps build a generation that values clean water, resilient ecosystems, and the intriguing and mysterious creatures that depend on them.<\/p>\n

As Bullock puts it, \u201cIf the hellbender can inspire even a few students to care about conservation, then that\u2019s a win for everyone \u2014 including the rivers we all share.\u201d<\/p>\n

Resources:<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Help the Hellbender website<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Help the Hellbender Facebook page<\/a>
\nAsk the Expert: Learn All About Hellbenders and Take a Tour<\/a>, Subscribe to Purdue Extension \u2013 Forestry & Natural Resources (FNR) YouTube Channel
\nAsk the Expert video:\u00a0Help the Hellbender \u2013 Dr. Stephen Spear of The Wilds<\/a>, Purdue Extension \u2013 FNR YouTube Channel
\nAsk the Expert video:\u00a0Live with Mesker Park Zoo and Botanical Gardens \u2013 Hellbenders<\/a>, Purdue Extension \u2013 FNR YouTube Channel
\nNature of Teaching \u2013 Hellbenders Rock Sneak Peek video<\/a>, Purdue Extension \u2013 FNR YouTube Channel
\nNature of Teaching \u2013 Hellbenders Rock webinar video<\/a>, Purdue Extension \u2013 FNR YouTube Channel
\nLearn about hellbenders and take a tour of Purdue\u2019s hellbender rearing facility video<\/a>, Purdue Extension \u2013 FNR YouTube Channel
\nA Moment in the Wild \u2013 Hellbender Hides video<\/a>, Purdue Extension \u2013 FNR YouTube Channel
\nA Moment in the Wild \u2013 Hellbender Release video\u00a0<\/a>, Purdue Extension \u2013 FNR YouTube Channel
\nAdaptations for Aquatic Amphibians<\/a>, The Education Store, Purdue Extension\u2019s resource center
\nHellbenders Rock! Nature of Teaching Lesson Plan<\/a>, The Education Store<\/p>\n

Amy Raley<\/a>, Senior Content Writer,
\nPurdue Brand Studio<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Purdue Stories: This amphibious rock star gets its own educational video game with the help of Purdue research. The eastern hellbender salamander will never win a wildlife beauty pageant. It\u2019s believed that it got its name from settlers who said it looked like a creature from hell that was \u201chell-bent\u201d on going back there. But […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,79,54],"tags":[943,147,196,232,371,384,72],"class_list":["post-42130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aquaculturefish","category-aqua","category-wildlife","tag-fnr-extension","tag-forestry-and-natural-resources","tag-hellbender","tag-help-the-hellbender","tag-minecraft","tag-purdue-research","tag-wildlife","audience-for-enthusiasts","audience-for-homeowners","audience-for-landowners","audience-for-professionals"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t