Hellbender
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Hellbender (disambiguation).
| iHellbender | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||
| Cryptobranchus alleganiensis Daudin, 1803 |
||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
C. a. alleganiensis (Eastern Hellbender) |
The Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) is a large aquatic salamander native to North America whose habitat includes large, swiftly flowing streams with rocky bottoms. Common names include the "snot otter" and "devil dog."
Contents |
[edit] Range
The range of the Eastern Hellbender (C. a. alleganiensis) in North America extends from southwestern and south central New York, west to southern Illinois, and south to extreme northeastern Mississippi and the northern parts of Alabama and Georgia. A disjunct population occurs in east-central Missouri. The Ozark Hellbender (C. a. bishopi) subspecies exists as a disjunct population in southeastern Missouri and adjacent Arkansas.
Hellbenders are considered endangered in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, and Ohio and rare or of "special concern" in Georgia, New York, North Carolina and Virginia.
[edit] Anatomy & Physiology
Hellbenders have a flat body and head, with small eyes. Like all salamanders, they have short legs and thin bodies. Their tails, however, are especially keeled to help propel them through water. They have four toes on their front legs and five on their back ones. Although the Hellbender has working lungs, there is a single gill slit along each side of its neck, resembling fleshy folds. The female rarely grows over 27 inches, and the Male is normally only 22 inches. The longest Hellbender on record is 29 inches. They weigh in at about three to five pounds. Hellbenders are completely aquatic and are nocturnal. They have powerful jaws and can inflict a painful bite. Male Hellbenders are territorial and physically compete for nesting areas. Hellbenders may live up to twenty-nine years in captivity, and follow a normal amphibious life cycle.
[edit] Reproduction
Females lay between 200 and 500 eggs after their breeding period in late August through September. Eggs are deposited in a nest made by the male under a large rock and will be guarded by the male until the eggs hatch after 2-3 months of gestation. Unfortunately Hellbender males have a chronically low sperm count, contributing to slow reproduction rates.
[edit] External links and references
- Commonwealth of Virginia Hellbender Information
- State of New York Hellbender Information
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Endangered Species Program
- Georgia Wildlife Web
- The Hellbender Homepage
- The Ozark Hellbender Hompage
- Amiphibiaweb Entry for the Hellbender
[edit] References
- Hammerson & Phillips (2004). Cryptobranchus alleganiensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is near threatened
