Chapter 3 North Carolina Species
has been conducted to implement conservation and management recommendations. Conservation recommendations for the habitats associated with amphibian SGCN have been incorporated into the natural community descriptions in Chapter 4 Habitats. NCWRC conservation plans for listed aquatic species, including amphibians, are available online https://www.ncwildlife.gov/wildlife-habitat/species-conservation-plans. 3.2.1.1 Salamanders The southeastern United States has the largest diversity of salamander species in the world. North Carolina is home to 81 species of salamanders and sirens (NCBP 2025) , many of which are located only in specific isolated habitats and a few that are endemic to North Carolina. • The Eastern Hellbender, one of only three giant salamanders from the family Cryptobranchidae , is one of the largest salamanders found in North Carolina and the United States. It was once more common throughout the mid-eastern United States but has since disappeared from many streams because of declining water quality, over- collecting, connectivity barriers such as dams, and persecution. This species is state listed as Special Concern and is a SGCN. Hellbenders are fully aquatic salamanders (they do not leave the water) that are found in habitats with swift running, fairly shallow, highly oxygenated waters. They feed on crayfish, fish, aquatic insects, and other amphibians (Mayasich et al. 2003) . Because Hellbenders are sensitive to silt, sediment, and other pollution in their aquatic habitat, they are considered a biological indicator of water quality. Regional efforts, such as those at the Nashville Zoo in Tennessee, have been undertaken to establish captive breeding programs to assist with recovery efforts through augmentation and restoration of populations in the wild. Recently, the USFWS proposed listing the Eastern Hellbender for ESA federal protection as an Endangered species wherever it’s found (USFWS 2024) . • The Neuse River Waterdog is another fully aquatic salamander that has been Federally listed as Threatened and is a species for which there are management concerns. Conservation recommendations include the need for survey, research, and monitoring efforts to determine the status and distribution of this salamander in the two river basins (Neuse, Tar-Pamlico) where it was historically found. During the last several years, status surveys have involved winter trapping to collect information for use in determining status trends for the species. Documenting species occurrence on Tribal Trust Lands is important to retain cultural relationships, so the EBCI prioritize inventory needs. In addition, several species that occur within the Cherokee ancestral landscape that are either rare on tribal trust lands, like the Mudpuppy or do not occur within these Trust lands, like the Alleghany Mountain Dusky Salamander are prioritized by the Cherokee. Because the current Trust Lands are in less than 1% of the aboriginal landscape, it is important for Cherokees to have a chance to see and interact with salamanders, toads, and frogs that occur throughout ancestral homelands.
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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