ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT PROFILE

PROTECTION STATUS: Not listed; Ozark hellbender candidate only

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.