At Audubon Community Nature Center’s First Friday on February 6, wildlife biologist Kelly Crandall will enlighten participants on the Eastern Hellbender. Also called Allegheny alligators, snot otters, and lasagna lizards, a pair of these unusual salamanders is among Audubon’s resident Animal Ambassadors.

Kelly Crandall, a state DEC wildlife biologist, is the presenter for the Feb. 6 First Friday lunch at 11 a.m. at the Audubon Community Nature Center.

Crandall will discuss one of the most cryptic and misunderstood species in New York state, the Eastern Hellbender.

Hellbenders go by many names, including Allegheny alligators, snot otters and lasagna lizards. There are just as many questions about hellbenders as there are names. What’s the difference between a mudpuppy and a hellbender? Are hellbenders venomous? These are some of the questions that Crandall will answer as she talks about the life history of these salamanders, their population status in the region and across North America, and how we can all be better neighbors to our local streams.

A pair of hellbenders is among ACNC’s resident animal ambassadors.

After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in Animal Science in 2018, Crandall worked as a wildlife technician for the DEC on a variety of projects, including Ocelot conservation in Texas, Burmese python management in the Florida Everglades, wild turkey research in Missouri, and steelhead creel surveys in Dunkirk. The Chautauqua County native received her master’s degree in forestry from Southern Illinois University, where she studied the effects of human development on the movement of mesopredators in the Florida Keys and related that to parasite transmission. She now works for the DEC as a regional wildlife biologist, focusing on freshwater mussels and rare and endangered species of the Allegheny watershed.

Those attending are welcome to bring a packed lunch and visit with attendees and Crandall after the program.

The cost is $8 or $6 for Nature Center members and children ages 9 to 15. Reservations are appreciated and can be made by calling 716-569-2345 or online at AudubonCNC.org/February-First-Friday. Walk-ins are welcome.

The Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown and Warren. Visit the nearly 600-acre nature preserve, check in on the live birds of prey, and hike, snowshoe or cross-country ski more than five miles of trails dawn until dusk daily for free.

The three-story Nature Center building houses interactive displays, a collection of live animals, and the Blue Heron Gift Shop. Visitors are welcome Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sundays, 1 to 4:30 p.m. Nature Center members and SNAP/EBT and Arts Access cardholders have free building admission daily. Building admission is also free Sundays for non-Nature Center members.