Cool Animal of the Week #4- The Ozark Hellbender

Photo by Stan Trauth

The Ozark hell bender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi) is an endangered salamander living northern Arkansas and southern Missouri. They can live 25 to 30 years in the wild and grow to 2 feet long- which makes it one of the largest in the world! They have interesting nicknames that include "snot otter" and "old lasagna sides".  The decline of the Ozark hellbender is being attributed to habitat decline and infection by a disease caused by the chytrid fungus. It is estimated that only 600 individuals remain in the wild.


For more information, here is a page from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and here is an article about the conservation efforts for the Ozark hellbender.