Hellbender
Cryptobranchus alleganiensis (Sonnini de Manoncourt & Latreille, 1801)
The hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), also called the snot otter, eastern hellbender or Allegheny alligator, is an amphibian in the salamanders and newts subgroup, order Caudata, family Cryptobranchidae. It falls in the small size class, with an adult body mass of 365 g and a body length of up to 73.66 cm.
Quick facts about the hellbender
A carnivore with an aquatic and fossorial microhabitat, it feeds mainly on arthropods and vertebrates. It lays eggs, from 200 to 450 per clutch, develops through a larval stage, has a lifespan of up to 30 years, and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
- Weight
- 365 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- up to 73.7 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- up to 30 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- arthropods, vertebratessrc for Main food
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- 200 – 450src for Young per litter or clutch
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Lifestyle
- Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the hellbender
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the hellbender live?
Not recorded
What is the hellbender?
The hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), also known as the hellbender salamander, is a species of aquatic giant salamander endemic to the eastern and central United States. It is the largest salamander in North America. A member of the family Cryptobranchidae, the hellbender is the only extant member of the genus Cryptobranchus. Other closely related salamanders in the same family are in the genus Andrias, which contains the Japanese and Chinese giant salamanders. The hellbender is much larger than any other salamander in its geographic range, and employs an unusual adaption for respiration through cutaneous gas exchange via capillaries found in its lateral skin folds. It fills a particular niche—both as a predator and prey—in its ecosystem, which either it or its ancestors have occupied for around 65 million years. The species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to the impacts of disease and widespread habitat loss and degradation throughout much of its range. Eastern hellbender populations are dropping quickly across most of their range, nearly 80% are declining or disappearing altogether. A reason for this is the loss of forest along streams, which they rely on to keep their habitats stable and clean. In many places, the populations are mostly older individuals, with few young hellbenders showing up to replace them.
From the Wikipedia article “Hellbender” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hellbender&oldid=1378956909), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the hellbender endangered?
The hellbender is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.
How is the hellbender classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAmphibia
- orderCaudata
- familyCryptobranchidae
- genusCryptobranchus
- SpeciesCryptobranchus alleganiensis (Sonnini de Manoncourt & Latreille, 1801)
Synonyms Abranchus alleganensis, Abranchus alleghaniensis, Abranchus horrida, Amphiuma gigantea, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi, Cryptobranchus alleghaniensis, Cryptobranchus bishopi, Cryptobranchus fuscus, Cryptobranchus guildayi, Cryptobranchus salamandroides, Cryptobranchus terassodactylos, Eurycea mucronata, Menopoma alleghaniense, Menopoma alleghaniensis, Menopoma fusca, Menopoma fuscum, Menopoma gigantea, Molge gigantea, Protonopsis fusca, Protonopsis horrida, Salamandra alleganensis, Salamandra alleganiensis, Salamandra alleghanensis, Salamandra alleghaniensis, Salamandra gigantea, Salamandra horrida, Salamandrops alleghaniensis, Salamandrops giganteus, Triton alleganiensis, Triton alleghaniensis, Triton alleghaniensis, Urotropis mucronata
Other names and names in other languages (24)
- Allegheny alligatorEnglish
- Eastern hellbenderEnglish
- Snot otterEnglish
- هلبندرArabic
- Salamandra gegant americanaCatalan
- velemlok americkýCzech
- Amerikansk kæmpesalamanderDanish
- SchlammteufelGerman
- Salamandra gigante norteamericanaSpanish
- MénopomeFrench
- Ménopome de l'AlleghenyFrench
- Salamandre-alligatorFrench
- סלמנדרת ענק אמריקניתHebrew
- mocsári ördögHungarian
- ヘルベンダーJapanese
- 미국장수도롱뇽Korean
- DynndjevelNorwegian Bokmål
- SkrytoskrzelPolish
- Skrytoskrzel diabeł błotnyPolish
- Salamandra-gigante-americanaPortuguese
- Аллеганский скрытожаберникRussian
- เฮลล์เบนเดอร์Thai
- 北美大鯢Chinese
- 美洲大鯢Chinese
Relatives of the hellbender
Other species in the same family Cryptobranchidae.
Japanese giant salamander
Andrias japonicus
Chinese giant salamander
Andrias davidianus
South China giant salamander
Andrias sligoi
Jiangxi giant salamander
Andrias jiangxiensis
Qimen giant salamander
Andrias cheni
Yaoluoping giant salamander
Andrias yaoluopingensis
CompareHellbender vs Japanese giant salamanderHellbender vs Chinese giant salamanderHellbender vs South China giant salamanderHellbender vs Jiangxi giant salamander
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is a hellbender?
The hellbender is an amphibian in the salamanders and newts subgroup, belonging to the order Caudata and the family Cryptobranchidae.
How big is a hellbender?
Adult hellbenders weigh 365 g and measure up to 73.66 cm in body length, placing them in the small size class.
What does a hellbender eat?
The hellbender is a carnivore whose main foods are arthropods and vertebrates.
Is the hellbender endangered?
The hellbender is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, which is an IUCN threatened category.
How long does a hellbender live?
The hellbender has a lifespan of up to 30 years.
How many eggs does a hellbender lay?
The hellbender lays 325 eggs per clutch, with reported values from 200 to 450. Its young develop through a larval stage.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- AmphiBIO, a global database for amphibian ecological traits · CC BY 4.0 · v1
Oliveira, B.F., São-Pedro, V.A., Santos-Barrera, G., Penone, C. & Costa, G.C. (2017) AmphiBIO, a global database for amphibian ecological traits. Scientific Data 4: 170123. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.123. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4644424.v5 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/hellbender
“Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/hellbender.
@misc{hellbender_2026,
title = {Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/hellbender},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}