# Hellbender (*Cryptobranchus alleganiensis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/hellbender  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 365 g |
| Length | up to 73.7 cm |
| Lifespan | up to 30 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Main food | arthropods, vertebrates |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Young per litter or clutch | 200 – 450 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Lifestyle | Aquatic |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Amphibia
- order: Caudata
- family: Cryptobranchidae
- genus: Cryptobranchus
- species: *Cryptobranchus 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*

## Common questions

### 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

- [AmphiBIO, a global database for amphibian ecological traits](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4644424.v5), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/hellbender