U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service June 2017 Conserving South Carolina’s At-Risk Species: www.fws.gov/charleston www.fws.gov/southeast/candidateconservation Species facing threats to their survival Eastern hellbender ern hellbender exists in South Carolina. is undergoing a status review. (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) Habitat Threats The Eastern hellbender is a stream dwell- The main threats to the species are degra- er found in large, fast-flowing, rocky dation of habitat: impoundments, chan- streams with abundant flat rocks that are nelization, mining, silt and nutrient run- typically broad and shallow. They only off, water pollution, and den site disturb- survive in flowing, cool, clean, well- ance due to recreational uses of rivers. oxygenated streams and rivers and do not Overexploitation (collection and illegal or tolerate sedimentation. Males prepare unintentional harvest) may be a threat to nests and attend eggs beneath large flat already declining populations. Many pop- Eastern hellbender/USFWS rocks or submerged logs. ulations have become reduced to the point at which the usual problems associated Description with small population size come into ef- The Eastern hellbender is a large, totally fect. aquatic salamander that can reach lengths between 30 and 50 cm (11.8 to 19.6 inch- Management/Protection Needs es) and has a maximum length of approxi- Actions needed to manage and protect mately 68 cm (26.7 inches). One of the existing populations of the Eastern hell- largest salamanders in North America, the bender consist of: maintaining current Eastern hellbender is typically gray or regulations/statutes protecting wetlands brown to dark brown in color, occasional- and streams; protection of known popula- ly yellow, with a flattened head and a pad- tions; supporting survey efforts; educa- dle-like tail. Fleshy folds of skin are tion. prominent along both sides of these sala- manders. Although this is an aquatic spe- Source—NatureServe 2015 References cies, adults do not possess external gills; Center for Biological Diversity— respiration occurs chiefly through the Status Southeast Aquatic Species Petition, April fleshy folds of skin. There are only two records of the Eastern 2010. hellbender in South Carolina; fishermen Range caught both of these salamanders from NatureServe. 2015. NatureServe Explor- The range extends from southern Illinois, Lake Tugaloo in Oconee County. It is er: An online encyclopedia of life [web southern Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and likely that the two South Carolina speci- application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, southwestern and south central New York mens were introduced (Source— Arlington, Virginia. Available http:// to central and south central Missouri, SCDNR). To date, no population of East- explorer.natureserve.org. northern Arkansas, northern Mississippi, ern hellbenders has been documented in Alabama, northern Georgia, the western the state of South Carolina. The Eastern South Carolina Department of Natural Carolinas (Oconee County, SC), western hellbender is ranked S? (unknown) in Resources—State Wildlife Action Plan: Virginia, West Virginia, and extreme South Carolina and G4 (apparently secure 2010-2015. western Maryland. Populations in the globally). This species is also listed as a White River system in southern Missouri Species of Concern. The U.S. Fish and Contact and northern Arkansas often have been Wildlife Service (Service) was petitioned U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service recognized as a distinct subspecies, Crypto- in April 2010 to list the species. A 90-day South Carolina Field Office branchus alleganiensis bishopi. To date no finding by the Service found that listing 843/727-4707 exhaustive population study for the East- may be warranted. Currently the species [email protected] .