CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is asking you to be on the lookout for any sightings of hellbenders and mudpuppies.
The two species are usually found in western North Carolina and are listed as species of special concern here in our state.
Officials said these two giant salamanders often get confused with one another, but they have distinct differences. Hellbenders have flat, broad heads and flattened bodies, wrinkly skin on their sides and are brown – sometimes mottled with dark splotches.
Mudpuppies have light brown, smooth skin that is typically speckled with spots, and red external feathery gills they retain throughout their whole life.
biologists want to learn more about their movement patterns across the state and if the population is growing.
"We know less about mudpuppies than we do about hellbenders, but we'd like to know much more about both," Lori Williams, a wildlife diversity biologist with the Wildlife Commission, said. "Challenging logistics in lake systems have made it difficult for us to conduct mudpuppy population surveys, but those habitats may be hot spots. 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."
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