PHOTO GALLERY: Saint Louis Zoo breeds endangered hellbenders

November 2, 2012 | 4:48 p.m. CDT

Nearly 3,000 Ozark hellbender eggs laid by eight females mark the second time the endangered amphibian has been bred in captivity at the St. Louis Zoo.

Hellbenders develop in their eggs at the Saint Louis Zoo in Nov. 2011. The Saint Louis Zoo has been working to restore the population with the Missouri Department of Conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. | PHOTO COURTESY OF SAINT LOUIS ZOO

The hellbenders were listed as an endangered species in 2011 after their population dropped from more than 8,000 to fewer than 600. This year, 2,809 fertile eggs were produced by three females at the Saint Louis Zoo. | PHOTO COURTESY OF SAINT LOUIS ZOO

An adult Ozark hellbender sits with a clutch of eggs at the Saint Louis Zoo in Sept. 2012. The eggs began hatching in late October and will continue hatching into December. | PHOTO COURTESY OF SAINT LOUIS ZOO