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This site was created by students in the herpetology class at Towson University. Site last updated: 05/21/07.
Acknowledgements: Herb Harris - Range Maps; Mark Tegges - Photography; Dan Lapascha & Gigi Forester - TU Herpetology Logo
Eastern Hellbender
(Cryptobranchus alleganiensis)
Description
The hellbender is the largest salamander in Maryland and can grow to be over 70 cm long. It has a flattened head and a wrinkled, fleshy fold of skin along each side of the body. It is most typically gray, but can range from yellow-brown to almost black. Contrary to popular myth, they are not venomous. The hellbender is listed as an endangered species in Maryland.
Habitat
Hellbenders are found in the Susquehanna River and its tributaries. They have also been reported in the Casselman and Youghiogheny Rivers in Western Maryland. Hellbenders are aquatic and nocturnal, sleeping in underwater dens during the day and foraging at night.
Breeding
Breeding congregations occur in late summer. Males excavate large nests beneath rocks, and then lure or corral a female into the nest. As a female deposits two long strings of eggs in a softball-sized yellowish mass, contain between 150 and 400 eggs, a male will fertilize the eggs externally. The breeding pair slowly sways within the nest during fertilization, thereby ensuring a thorough mixing of the eggs and semen.
Afterwards, the male drives out the female and broods and guards the eggs until they hatch, 68 to 75 days later in November. At hatching, larvae are approximately one inch long and have a yolk sac. Sexually maturity is reached in five to seven years; some individuals can live for up to 30 years.
Distribution in Maryland
Range map adapted from Harris, 1975.
Links:
http://hellbenders.sanwalddesigns.com
http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/wildlife/endspec/hellfs.html