Illustration of hellbender
hellbender
noun
hell·ben·der
ˈhel-ˌben-dər 
: a large aquatic usually brownish-gray salamander (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) of streams of the eastern and central U.S.
Examples of hellbender in a Sentence
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Read Next Missouri Endangered hellbender dad found fathering eggs in Missouri river.
—
Olivia Lloyd, Charlotte Observer, 24 May 2024
While in that part of the state, Hendricks donned a wetsuit and went underwater to capture life in the Savage River — a brook trout foraging among boulders for aquatic insects; minnows devouring a caterpillar; a wood turtle, a crayfish and the large salamander known as the Eastern hellbender.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 5 Apr. 2024
Male hellbender salamanders usually make doting dads, guarding eggs and shaking them free of silt.
—Carolyn Wilke, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2023
Their North American kin is the hellbender, found in the South and in the eastern United States.
—Lee Powell, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023
In the short term, conservationists could keep the numbers up by rearing hellbender larvae for release and avoiding this danger at the nest.
—Carolyn Wilke, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2023
Changes to the hellbenders' environment may have turned this once beneficial adaptation into a harmful evolutionary trap, Klug says.
—Carolyn Wilke, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2023
In its 2019 decision, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that listing the salamander as endangered was not necessary, partially because of efforts like building nesting boxes for hellbenders and hatching hellbenders in captivity and releasing them into the wild.
—Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 7 Sep. 2023
The eastern hellbender is the largest salamander in North America, reaching two feet or more in length.
—Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 7 Sep. 2023
Olivia Lloyd, Charlotte Observer, 24 May 2024
While in that part of the state, Hendricks donned a wetsuit and went underwater to capture life in the Savage River — a brook trout foraging among boulders for aquatic insects; minnows devouring a caterpillar; a wood turtle, a crayfish and the large salamander known as the Eastern hellbender.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 5 Apr. 2024
Male hellbender salamanders usually make doting dads, guarding eggs and shaking them free of silt.
—Carolyn Wilke, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2023
Their North American kin is the hellbender, found in the South and in the eastern United States.
—Lee Powell, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023
In the short term, conservationists could keep the numbers up by rearing hellbender larvae for release and avoiding this danger at the nest.
—Carolyn Wilke, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2023
Changes to the hellbenders' environment may have turned this once beneficial adaptation into a harmful evolutionary trap, Klug says.
—Carolyn Wilke, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2023
In its 2019 decision, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that listing the salamander as endangered was not necessary, partially because of efforts like building nesting boxes for hellbenders and hatching hellbenders in captivity and releasing them into the wild.
—Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 7 Sep. 2023
The eastern hellbender is the largest salamander in North America, reaching two feet or more in length.
—Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 7 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hellbender.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Hellbender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hellbender. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hellbender
noun
hell·ben·der
ˈhel-ˌben-dər
: a large water-dwelling salamander of streams of the eastern and central U.S.
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