Hellbender Salamander Ohio General Information and Facts

The hellbender salamander is a fascinating creature that can be found in Ohio. They are the largest salamanders in the state, with some individuals reaching up to 12 inches in length.

Hellbenders are aquatic salamanders that live in freshwater environments, such as streams and rivers. They have a distinctive appearance, with a flat, broad head and a long, slender body.

These salamanders are nocturnal, meaning they are most active at night, and spend most of their time hiding under rocks or in burrows during the day.

Conservation efforts are underway to help the hellbender population in Ohio. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is playing a key role in this effort, having raised over 1,900 hellbenders in the past 10 years that have been released into Ohio waterways.

Hellbender huts, made of cement, are being placed in waterways where hellbenders are known to live. These huts allow fresh water to flow through but have only a small entrance to protect resident hellbenders from predators.

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The male hellbender found guarding eggs in a hut was a male that was raised at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and released in 2016. This is the first evidence of a released hellbender reproducing in the wild.

The Ohio Hellbender Partnership, which meets twice a year, is a key player in these conservation efforts. The partnership includes members such as the Toledo Zoo, Columbus Zoo and The Wilds, and Ohio State University.

Here are some of the members of the Ohio Hellbender Partnership:

These efforts are crucial in helping the hellbender population recover from its decline. The ultimate goal is to reach self-sustaining populations in Ohio and get the hellbender off the endangered list.

The eastern hellbender is a large, aquatic salamander that occurs in cool, permanent streams across 15 states.

These salamanders breathe entirely through their skin, which contains numerous folds to increase oxygen absorption, making cool and clear water essential for their survival.

They spend most of their life under large, flat rocks that shelter them, while larval and juvenile hellbenders hide beneath large rocks and under small stones in gravel beds.

Eastern hellbenders are one of two subspecies of hellbenders, with the Ozark Hellbender being the other subspecies.

Adult hellbenders can be found in a variety of habitats, but they require a specific environment to thrive.

Hellbenders are the largest salamander in North America, growing up to two feet long.

Their flattened bodies enable them to move in fast flowing waters. This unique body shape is a result of their aquatic lifestyle, which they've adapted to perfectly.

They have large, keeled tails that help them balance and maneuver in the water. Tiny eyes are another characteristic of hellbenders, likely due to their reliance on other senses in their underwater environment.

Numerous fleshy folds along the sides of their bodies provide surface area for respiration, allowing them to extract oxygen from the water.

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Hellbenders call perennial streams and rivers of the eastern and central United States home, where they often spend their time lying motionless under large, flat rocks.

These areas stretch across 15 states, including northeastern Mississippi, northern Alabama, northern Georgia, Tennessee, western North Carolina, western Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, eastern Illinois, southern Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, western Maryland, and southern New York.

Eastern hellbenders have distinct populations in east-central Missouri, indicating a range that's both vast and specific.

Hellbenders can be found in a variety of habitats, but their preference for streams and rivers is clear.

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Raising hellbenders is a challenging task, especially as they get older and become more ornery.

Hellbenders get really ornery as they get older, so they need more space.

More than 1,900 human-raised hellbenders have been released in Ohio waterways in the past 10 years.

The male hellbender found guarding eggs was released in 2016 and is now 10 years old, which is old enough for males to reproduce.

Hellbender eggs are collected each year and sent to the Columbus and Toledo zoos and to the Penta Career Center in Perrysburg, which has an animal husbandry program.

High school students at the Penta Career Center help take care of the hellbenders as part of their animal husbandry program.

Hellbender juveniles are raised in these three facilities to the age of three before being released into the wild.

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