What is the Ozark Hellbender?
Appearance: The Ozark hellbender is a large, strictly aquatic salamander found only in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. Adults may grow up to 2 feet long. Its flattened body shape enables it to move in fast flowing streams. Hellbenders also have a large, keeled tail and tiny eyes. Numerous fleshy folds along the sides of their bodies provide surface area for respiration. Reproduction: Ozark hellbenders are long-lived, becoming sexually mature at 5 to 8 years of age and surviving up to 30 years in the wild. They generally breed between September and November. Mating is by external fertilization, and males guard the fertilized eggs from predators and other hellbenders. Clutches vary in size with 140 to 450 eggs that hatch after 80 days. Feeding Habits: Adults are nocturnal, remaining beneath cover (usually large, flat rocks) during the day and emerging to forage at night. They feed almost entirely on crayfish, but will also eat small fish, invertebrates, and other hellbenders. Th
