PROTECTION STATUS: eastern hellbender not listed; Ozark hellbender listed as endangered in 2011
PETITIONED: 2004
RANGE: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia
THREATS: Poor water quality, unsustainable collection for the pet trade and scientific purposes, persecution by anglers, disease caused by chytrid fungus, stocking of predatory fish, loss of genetic diversity
POPULATION TREND: This species is declining throughout its range. The Ozark hellbender in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas is in especially alarming decline.