Adjacent Words

hellbender definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: large salamander of North American rivers and streams [syn: hellbender, mud puppy, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 1812 a large aquatic usually brownish-gray salamander (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) of streams of the eastern and central United States

Britannica Concise

Salamander (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, family Cryptobranchidae) found in swift-flowing rivers in the E and central U.S. It grows to about 25 in. (63 cm) long, has a stout body, flat head, broad tail fin, and wrinkled sides, and is typically brownish gray with black spots. Adults have lungs, but a gill slit persists from the larval stage on each side behind the head. Wrinkled fleshy folds on the body and legs increase surface area for respiration through the skin, the principal mode of oxygen intake. Hellbenders lie under stones during the day, emerging at night to feed on crayfish, small fishes, and worms.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hellbender Hell"bend`er, n. (Zo["o]l.) A large North American aquatic salamander (Protonopsis horrida or Menopoma Alleghaniensis). It is very voracious and very tenacious of life. Also called alligator, and water dog.