The last issue of the New York State Conservationist includes a piece about NY’s largest salamander the Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis). Of the 18 species of salamanders found in NY, the Hellbender is the largest, with large adults reaching lengths of 2 feet or more. Females lay their eggs in cavities under rocks late in the summer, as males fertilize them. The eggs hatch in late fall. Not much is known about the larval stage of Hellbenders in the wild. They become sexually mature after 5 years and can live to be 30 years old!
