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With the exception of the sirens and amphiumas, which may grow longer, the hellbender is the largest and most robust salamander in North America. The hellbender is stout, with a broad, flattened head, four well-developed limbs, no external gills, and loose skin with pronounced folds along the sides of the body. The eyes are small and the tail is flattened. Hellbenders vary in coloration, but most are brown to reddish, mottled to match the rocks of the streams they inhabit.
Hellbenders are characteristically mountain species and are found
in cold, fast-flowing streams and rivers that drain into the Gulf
of Mexico. In our region they are found only in the far northern
sections of Georgia. Hellbenders have not been documented from
South Carolina. Hellbenders are most often found hiding under
large rocks in streams but may actively forage along the stream
bottom for crayfish and other prey. They are frequently caught
by fishermen and many subsequently killed. Hellbenders have declined
in many regions due to degradation (particularly siltation and
pollution) of stream habitats.
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