Eastern Hellbender Voted Pennsylvania's Official Amphibian

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania is getting an official amphibian, a nocturnal salamander who can grow to be more than two feet long.

The House voted 191 to 6 on Tuesday to grant the honor to the Eastern hellbender.

Gov. Tom Wolf's office says he plans to sign it.

In this March 23, 2012, file photo, Ned S. Gilmore, collections manager of vertebrate zoology, shows a hellbender salamander in the collection at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania is getting an official amphibian, a nocturnal salamander that can grow to be more than two feet long. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The path to legislative recognition was not smooth, as the Eastern hellbender faced a stiff challenge from Wehrle's salamander.

Hellbenders don't have federal protected status, and while some states give them protected status, Pennsylvania does not.

(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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