36-year-old Alabama Red Hills salamander discovered at the Cincinnati Zoo | AL.com

Ben Raines story on Red Hills Salamander at the Cincinati Zoo: 36-year-old Alabama Red Hills salamander discovered at the Cincinnati Zoo | AL.com: Captive salamanders tend to live longer than their wild counterparts, with reports of a number of 25-year-old specimens of various species. But a 36-year-old salamander? That's got the amphibian experts excited.

"That is awesome that salamander is still alive," said J.J. Apodaca, one of a small handful of scientists specializing in the endangered Red Hills salamander, Phaeognathus hubrichti, which is one of the rarest creatures in Alabama, and the nation.