An Ozark hellbender has reproduced in the Current River.
The large aquatic salamander, which has been on a federal endangered species list since 2011, recently fathered a clutch of eggs, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.
The MDC has long partnered with the St. Louis Zoo's Center of Hellbender Conservation and other agencies to help propagate the species.
There are fewer than 1,000 Ozark hellbenders in the world, according to the MDC, but the zoo-raised father's nest may help increase those numbers.
The hellbenders released into the Ozark Highlands are monitored with a chip, and take years to reproduce.