North Carolina’s largest salamanders are beginning to stir from the winter sleep, and state biologists want to know exactly where they are living.
Hellbenders and mudpuppies, sometimes called snot otters or water dogs, are two different but similar species. Hellbenders tend to be larger – averaging 16 to 18 inches in length. Mudpuppies rarely get more than 12 to 14 inches. The salamanders are sometimes called Conger or Congo eels, but they are amphibians, not fish.
The mudpuppy has light brown, smooth skin, often with distinct spots. It has red external feathery gills. Mudpuppies are common in drainage canals and brownwater swamps in Eastern North Carolina. They also live in deep rivers, lakes, large ponds and reservoirs. Like the hellbender, mudpuppies do best in unpolluted water.
The hellbender is the largest aquatic salamander in North America, averaging 16 to 17 inches long. It has a flat, broad head and flattened body, wrinkly skin on its sides and is brown – sometimes mottled with dark splotches. It’s typically only found in fast moving, clean mountain streams. Both species can be found along the fall line of the Cape Fear River and in the lower piedmont.
Both salamanders are listed as species of special concern in North Carolina, and Wildlife Commission biologists want to know more about their distribution in the state and how their populations are faring.
“We know less about mudpuppies than we do about hellbenders, but we’d like to know much more about both,” said Lori Williams, a wildlife diversity biologist with the WRC. The best habitats for mudpuppies are often the least accessible, she explained.
“Mudpuppies are attracted to baited hooks in lakes and deep rivers, so anglers fishing from boats may catch one. We need anyone who fishes deep river sites and impounded waters to let us know if they find one.”
Hellbenders have been the focus of a long-term inventory and monitoring study the agency has been conducting since 2007. Their populations have decreased mainly due to declining water quality and habitat degradation, and to a lesser degree, ill treatment from anglers who mistakenly think they prey on game fish populations. Both hellbenders and mudpuppies may go after fish on a line or stringer when scavenging for an easy meal, but they don’t actively hunt fish.
Their main source of prey is crayfish, but they will also eat minnows, snails, tadpoles, worms, discarded bait or other injured or dead animals. Game fish, like trout and bass, will eat young or larval mudpuppies and hellbenders.
Neither the mudpuppy nor the hellbender is poisonous, venomous, toxic or harmful to humans, although they may try to bite as a defensive reaction if someone tries to pick them up. If sighted, they should be left alone and reported.
Williams asks that their location be noted (physical location or GPS coordinates), a photo snapped if possible, and any other details shared with her at Lori.Williams@ncwildlife.org. People can also call the Wildlife Commission’s N.C. Wildlife Helpline, 866-318-2401, and provide details of the observation.
It is illegal to take, possess, transport or sell mudpuppies or hellbenders. The violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor, which can result in a fine and up to 120 days in jail. If anglers happen to catch one on by hook and line, they should carefully remove the hook if it is safe to do so without harming the animal, or cut the line as close as possible to the hook and return the salamander back to the water.
Learn more by visiting the N.C. Partners in Amphibians and Reptile Conservation’s mudpuppy webpage and the Wildlife Commission’s hellbender webpage.
