The Nature Conservancy - JWN

Hellbender Salamanders

Hellbender Quick Facts

Scientific name: Cryptobranchus alleganiensis
Length: can grow up to 11-30 inches
Weight: up to 4-5 lbs
Coloration: varies; olive green, yellow brown or slate grey with black spots
Diet: mostly crayfish but will also eat mollusks, small fish and worms
Predators: large fish, turtles and other large water mammals; man - when caught on fishing lines
Lifespan: averages between 25-35 years in the wild; recorded up to 50 years in captivity

Do the Hustle!

The Hellbender Hustle, that is. The Nature Conservancy's Blue River Project Office holds this annual 3.1 mile run/walk in hopes to raise awareness of our work in the Blue River area. In 2007, additional money was raised outside of the registration fee to support operations on hellbender conservation.

The next Hellbender Hustle will be held on April 19, 2008 at the O'Bannon Woods Nature Center in Corydon, Indiana. Hope to see you there!

Did You Know...?

Nearly one-third of the world's 6,000 amphibian species are on the brink of extinction. By comparison, just 12 percent of all bird species and 23 percent of all mammal species are threatened. As bioindicators - species whose function, population, or status can be used to determine the health of an ecosystem or environment - amphibians like the hellbender should be monitored closely and protected for their sake and our own.

Pollution, Silatation, Impoundment, Oh My!

Pollution is categorized by point-source or non-point source. Point-source pollution from one specific, identifiable location such as a sewage treatment plant or factory. Non-point source pollution is pollution that occurs when rainfall, snowmelt, or irrigation runs over land or through the ground, picks up pollutants, and deposits them into bodies of water.

Silt are very fine particles of sediment. Siltation is the deposition and accumulation of silt. It occurs when there is no buffer to prevent silt from flowing into the river along with rainwater.

Impoundment is a man-made resevoir created by man by a dam. Impoundments cause the loss of shallow-water riffles and buries rocks in silt.

Despite their name, Hellbenders are no hellraisers. These aquatic salamanders may be the largest of their kind in the United States but they are no monsters. Growing up to 2.5 feet in length, the hellbender is an odd looking creature with a broad flattened head, loose and wrinkled skin, small beady eyes and a paddle-like tail. Gentle and a bit shy, they prefer swimming in fast flowing river habitats and hiding under rocks during the day. They are mostly active right when the sun goes down when they search for a meal of crawfish.

Hellbenders in Indiana

Although the IUCN Red List has labeled hellbenders only as "Nearly Threatened," Indiana has placed them on our endangered specie list. Historical records indicate hellbender once occurred in Fourteen Mile Creek; Little Blue River; Whitewater River; Silver Creek; Indian Creek; Ohio River; and the Wabash River. Today, the hellbender's singular habitat in Indiana is the clean and clear Blue River, located in southern Indiana.

Since 1996 the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program, or NEWP, has studied the hellbender to monitor the remaining population's demographics. Annual collections range from 12 to 49 hellbenders, with an average of 23 individuals studied a year. Basic information on weight, length, sex and location of capture is collected from all captured individuals, and then they're permanently marked for future identification. Although several nests have been located during the past 11 years, evidence of juveniles has not been found.

Myths and Legends

The biggest myth about the hellbender is that it is poisonous. It is a common misconception most likely stemming from the fact that the hellbender is a large, ugly, and slimy creature. When handled or attacked, the giant salamander will secrete large amounts of mucus. Even though the secretions are slightly toxic, humans do not have to worry unless planning on putting the hellbender in their mouths.

Other myths blame the hellbender for a bad day of fishing. It has been said that the shy salamander will slime a fisherman's line, chase the fish away or even take the largest of fish for its own meal. Not true; hellbenders would rather be under their rocks than disturb any anglers out during the day.

Speaking of meals, legend has it that certain American Indian tribes and mountain villagers have partaken in the questionable culinary delight of hellbender flanks. Bones of the giant salamander have been located near archeological sites and riverbanks.

If you are a fisherman and find an unfortunate hellbender on the end of your line, please unhook them instead of cutting the line and letting them go. Remember, the hellbender is endangered in Indiana and must be protected. Under no circumstances should they be killed, trapped or kept as pets. Please read IDNR's frequently asked questions on Amphibian & Reptile Regulations for more information.

Threats to the Hellbender's Survival

As a large but apprehensive amphibian, the adult hellbender's main threat is man. An angler using live bait may accidentally hook one or may unknowingly destroy their nests while trudging along the riverbed. Then there are those who search to capture the hellbender to keep them as pets or sell them to pet stores. Taking this endangered specie away from its natural habitat, for any reason, is illegal and detrimental in raising its population in Indiana.

Then there is pollution. Hellbenders, like many other amphibians, breathe through their porous skin, which makes them extremely vulnerable to water pollution, siltation and impoundment. Like sponges, hellbenders will easily soak up their surrounding environment. That is why they are only found in water that is clear, clean and well-oxygenated with large rocks scattered on the bottom. Hellbenders depend on the open cavities found under these larger rocks for shelter and egg deposition. As silt is introduced to the river through the erosion of riverbanks and cleared land, these cavities fill up and result in vital habitat loss.
Proposed causes of decline for populations of hellbenders include stream impoundment, which
causes the loss of shallow-water riffles and buries rocks in silt, and point and non-point source
pollution.

What is Being Done to Protect Hellbenders

The Nature Conservancy's Blue River Project Office has worked on various projects to make sure the river basin is protected with the help of local partners and landowners by preventing soil erosion through the planting of trees. By planting trees alongside the river that flows through their property, TNC and local landowners create a vegetated buffer that will protect the water quality of the Blue River by acting as a filtering system for erosion. The presence of trees and natural shrubs will also help prevent soil from entering the river with runoff; roots will help stabilize the riverbank; presence of trees will provide necessary shade over the hellbender's habitat; and will slow the river so rocks, where hellbenders make their nests underneath, are no disturbed. Other work done by the Blue River Project office, such as working with the city of Salem's wastewater treatment, indirectly contributes to the health of the river and helps increase much needed habitat for the hellbender.

Hellbenders are needed in Indiana because they play an important role in maintaining the river's ecology and are good indicators for water quality. The lack of younger populations in locations where hellbenders live is becoming a growing concern. In the upcoming year, Purdue University will conduct a study on why these giants aren't reproducing the way they should and why there are no juveniles found near existing nests. In Missouri, where hellbender populations continue to drop, the recent discovery of unexplained deformities is also becoming an issue. Like the canary in the coal mine, amphibians are trusted to monitor the health of the surrounding environment for other animals, including humans. In many ways, we need them as much as they need us to protect their habitat.

Fun Hellbender Facts

According to PBS's Track That Word, the hellbender was named as such due to its extreme ugliness and that when caught by a fisherman, it was exclaimed the large salamander had to be a creature straight from the infernal regions.

The hellbender is sometimes unflatteringly referred to as a snot otter, devil dog and mud cat. Please don't call it a mudpuppy; those creatures are of an entirely different species of salamander.

Hellbenders are prehistoric creatures having roamed the Earth for more than 150 million years.

Hellbenders are the largest salamanders in North America but not the world. That title goes to the Chinese giant salamander, Andrias davidianus, which reaches lengths of over 5 feet and can weigh up to 55 pounds.

There are only two subspecies of hellbenders: Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis, (Eastern hellbender) and C. a. bishopi (Ozark hellbender). The Eastern hellbender is the subspecies found in Indiana as well several other states across the U.S. However, the Ozark hellbender is only found in two river systems of Missouri and Arkansas.

The family Cryptobranchidae means “hidden gills.” Hellbenders loose their gills around two years of age when the gills are absorbed into the body. As adults, they are able to live entirely underwater by breathing through blood vessels in their skin.

Oddly enough...hellbenders have lungs that are not used to breath. It is the only species of salamander in North America to do so. Scientists believe they use these lungs for buoyancy.

Hellbenders have two sets of small teeth located on the upper and lower jaws.

Though it has a flat, eel-like tail, the hellbender rarely swims. Instead, it will trudge through the bottom of the river bed with its short legs, using the rough pads on their toes for traction.

Hellbenders are opportunistic cannibals- adults will eat smaller adults as well as the eggs and larvae from their own nests and those of others.

Nests have been found containing up to 300 eggs. This number may seem promising for the restoration of a healthy hellbender population but due to predation by larger water mammals and the consumption of eggs and larvae by hellbenders themselves, there may be little chance for survival.

Hellbenders In Action

The following video was shot and edited by Jeff Humphries for the Hellbender Homepage. If you would like to see more footage, please click here.

For More Information

The Hellbender Homepage - "Promoting Conservation of North American Giant Salamander"

The Center for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation and Management's Hellbender webpage

Animal Diversity Web -Cryptobranchus alleganiensis

AmphibiaWeb - a web database containing information on the biology and conservation of amphibians including the hellbender.

Hellbender entry on NatureServe Explorer - the "Online Encyclopedia of Life"

Missouri's hellbender information

St. Louis Zoo's Hellbenders - The St. Louis Zoo is also working on conservation efforts to save the hellbender in Missouri.

Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation

Water ~ Learning and Living: Information on bioindicators

On Waterdogs, Mudpuppies, and the Occasional Hellbender - an article from the Smithsonian's National Zoological Parks publication, Zoogoer.

American hellbender information from WorldandIschool.com