Cryptobranchus alleganiensis

DESCRIPTION    

The American Hellbender is the third largest salamander in the world and the largest in North America. They are completely aquatic salamanders that breathe through their skin. They do have lungs, but they use capillaries in the folds of their skin to get oxygen from the water. Hellbenders are not venomous. However, their slimy skin contains toxins. Adult hellbenders grow to a total of 12 – 29 inches in length. They can weigh about 3.3 lbs to 5.5 lbs and may live 30 years in captivity. They have flat bodies and heads with short legs. Their tails are keeled to help propel them through the water and their skin ranges from a blotchy brown to red-brown with a paler underbelly. Hellbenders are primarily nocturnal, but can be active on cloudy days. There are actually two subspecies of hellbenders: the Ozark subspecies and the eastern.

HABITS AND HABITATS  

Hellbenders need cool, clear streams and rivers with large rocks to hide under. They will defend their rocks and rarely share their homes. The eastern species is found mostly in the mountains of West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. If found in a river, hellbenders are a sign that the water quality is good. Crayfish are their main diet, but they will also eat small fish, mollusks, worms, insects, smaller hellbenders and even their own eggs. The breeding season begins in late August and can continue into November, depending on the region. Female hellbenders lay 150-200 eggs over a 2-3 day period, and incubation lasts from 45-75 days. The males will chase off the females after the eggs are laid and then continue to incubate them. Often, they or another hellbender will eat some of the eggs before they are hatched. Large fish, turtles and water snakes will prey on small hellbenders.

HISTORY    

Hellbenders once lived in thousands of streams throughout the Ozark, Appalachian mountains and Ohio River valley. The populations have drastically decreased over the years, mostly because of poor stream quality. Populations are now mostly found in mountainous areas with little human settlement. They have been classified as an endangered species in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri and Ohio and “rare” or “of special concern” in Georgia, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee.

MEET OUR HELLBENDER        

Our resident Hellbender has lived here at the Nature Center since the summer of 2008. It was brought to the center by someone that had caught it on their fishing line in a local river and wanted it identified! It lives in a tank where the water is cooled to the low 60s and has constant aeration. We offer  live fish, comets, rosies, minnows or feeder guppies, crayfish and at times
ghost shrimp, every other week. We also offer earthworms once or twice a week. Its favorite food is crayfish. Our Hellbender has a favorite spot that it likes to hide, so if you are visiting and you don’t see him make sure to take a close look under the large, flat rock on the right side. It is sometimes hard to pick it out amongst the rocks because it has such good camouflage.