Eastern Hellbender
How to Identify the Hellbender
A giant salamander reaching 30–74 cm in length (≈ 12–29 in). Features slimy, blotchy reddish-brown skin with distinct frilly, wrinkled folds along the sides and small eyes.
Uniquely breathes almost entirely through absorbing oxygen directly from water across its wrinkled skin folds rather than relying on lungs.
Where to Look
Found in swift, highly oxygenated, cold-water streams and rivers with rocky bottoms.
Spends almost all of its life hidden under large, flat slab rocks or submerged river boulders, emerging mainly at night to walk along the stream bed and hunt crayfish.
How to Protect Local Populations
Never move or turn over large rocks in rivers and streams; shifting rocks risks crushing adult hellbenders, destroying underground nest cavities, or trapping young larvae.
Preserve forested riverbanks (riparian buffers) to reduce erosion, prevent mud and silt from filling the spaces under river rocks, and keep stream temperatures cool.
If caught on a fishing line, cut the line as close to the hook as possible or carefully remove the hook without lifting the animal out of the water, then release it immediately.
Tompkins County Status: Endangered
5 or fewer extant sites, or
fewer than 1,000 individuals, or
restricted to fewer than 4 U.S.G.S. 7 1/2 minute topographical maps, or
species listed as endangered by the U. S. Department of Interior, as enumerated in the Code of Federal Regulations 50 CFR 17.11.
Cryptobranchus alleganiensis
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