Where Do Hellbenders Actually Live in the US?
Hellbenders live in 12 US states and are confirmed absent from 28 more, based on 2,088 verified iNaturalist and GBIF records. This page covers every state at once instead of one near-identical page per state.
By Tim, founder of Easy Street Markets. I maintain the wildlife database and verify every animal and source myself.
The states with the strongest confirmed populations are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri and New York, and 6 more. These are real, verified iNaturalist and GBIF occurrence records, not modeled range estimates.
Hellbenders have zero confirmed wild sightings in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho and Illinois, or 18 other states, despite tens of thousands of nationwide observation records for the species. That is a real, checked absence, not a missing page.
Confirmed states (12)
Not found (28)
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- North Dakota
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Frequently asked questions
What states do hellbenders live in?+
Hellbenders have confirmed wild populations in 12 US states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
Where are hellbenders not found in the US?+
Hellbenders have no confirmed wild sightings in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming.