Eastern Hellbender

The eastern hellbender is a very large species of salamander inhabiting the eastern mountains ranges of North America. These salamanders are completely aquatic and can grow to 30 inches in length from head to tail. In the wild, hellbenders inhabit the bottoms of pollution-free, free-flowing rivers and streams. They are mainly found in the Susquehanna River drainage in southern New York and Pennsylvania. Also they can be found in large portions of the Missouri, Ohio, and …

…later, the male leaves the young to fend for themselves. The eastern hellbender is a very interesting animal. It is believed to be the most primitive form of salamander in North America, as well as the largest. It is unique in many ways. It is called the hellbender and nicknamed devil dog because fishers used to believe that these salamanders would poison the fishing lines, but it turns out that the hellbender is completely harmless.