Very little is known about larval habits and survivorship, as very few are encountered in the field. Males and females become sexually mature in approximately 5-7 years and can live up to 30 years of age. The eastern hellbender's North American range extends from southwestern and southcentral New York, west to southern Illinois, and south to extreme northeastern Mississippi and the northern parts of Alabama and Georgia. A disjunct population occurs in east-central Missouri. In New York, the hellbender is found solely in the Susquehanna and Allegheny River drainages, including their associated tributaries.
Hellbenders prefer swift running, well oxygenated, unpolluted streams and rivers.
An important physical characteristic of these habitats is the presence of riffle areas and abundant large flat rocks, logs or boards which are used for cover and nesting sites. The hellbender was listed as a special concern species of New York State in 1983. It is listed as endangered in Maryland, Ohio and Indiana and is threatened in Alabama. There is a lack of basic life history and distribution information on these animals. Insufficient historic data on population densities has contributed to a shortage of knowledge on long-term population trends.