Eastern Hellbender

The eastern hellbender is a large, aquatic salamander that occurs in cool, permanent streams across 15 states. Cool and clear water is important because hellbenders breathe entirely through their skin, which contains numerous folds to increase oxygen absorption. Adult eastern hellbenders spend most of their life under large, flat rocks that shelter them; whereas 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.

In 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) listed eastern hellbender populations in Missouri, referred to as a Distinct Population Segment, as endangered. In 2024, the Service proposed to list the eastern hellbender as endangered throughout its entire range due to threats from sedimentation, water quality degradation, habitat destruction, disease, and direct mortality. Of the 626 known historical populations, 41% are believed to be extirpated, and another 36% are declining. Addition of the eastern hellbender, range-wide, to the endangered species list would help prevent extinction and facilitate conservation of this unique animal.