Which salamanders have four legs, a flat head, a paddle-like tail, beady little eyes and are called names like "snot otter" and "mollyhugger"?
Whether you're a biologist, a naturalist,
a student, or you happened to catch a hellbender on a fishing line, I hope you find this page
interesting!
Hellbenders are one of the largest salamanders in the world, growing to
over 2 feet long. Their cousins in China and Japan, the Chinese and
Japanese giant salamanders, can grow to an enormous 5 to 6 feet long!
Hellbenders are only found in the mountains and foothills of the eastern
United States. They once thrived in thousands of pristine streams in the
Ozark and Appalachian mountains, and throughout the Ohio River
valley.
Today, hellbenders are limited to
relatively few healthy stream systems, mainly in areas that have remained
isolated from development and urbanization -- mainly in the rugged
mountains of West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and
Georgia. They can still be found throughout their original range, but they
are quickly declining in most places because many streams are not
adequately protected from sediment runoff.
Please click on the links to the left to
learn more about hellbenders, and don't forget to check out the short
videos -- hellbenders look a lot more interesting underwater.
And if you have seen a
hellbender or caught one while fishing, please contact me by email. Your
sightings of hellbenders are very important for the conservation of this
species. Thanks for visiting and enjoy the website!
Copyright 2007. This site
developed and maintained by Jeff Humphries.
If you have questions or comments, please send an email to jeff@hellbenders.org.
Photos on this website may be used for educational purposes, with credit
to the photographer provided. Most of the photos are available as higher
resolution images; just contact me for the originals.
