<body><div><p><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2uQHGG_0iujOIAI00" style="display:none" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2uQHGG_0iujOIAI00" width="800" height="533" ></p><p> CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — While West Virginia may be better known for its peculiar cryptids, it’s home to some peculiar real animals as well. </p><a class="promo-link__link" href="https://www.wvnstv.com/news/west-virginia-news/west-virginia-man-pleads-guilty-after-killing-neighbors-dog-and-throwing-them-over-a-hill/" rel="nofollow"> West Virginia man pleads guilty after killing neighbor’s dog and throwing them over a hill </a><p> Whether they’re animals with odd names, behaviors or appearances, the Mountain State has some weird ones. </p><h2> Eastern Hellbender salamander </h2><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3QLYRg_0iujOIAI00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3QLYRg_0iujOIAI00" width="640" height="480" ><figcaption>Eastern Hellbender Salamander in the East Fork of the Greenbrier River, Monongahela National Forest, June 28, 2019. (USDA Forest Service photo by Time Tiburzi) </figcaption></figure><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><p> These large aquatic salamanders can reach 24 inches—or two feet—in length according to <a href="https://www.marshall.edu/herp/Salamanders/hellbender.htm#:~:text=Hellbenders%20are%20the%20only%20salamanders,killed%20by%20anglers%20when%20caught." rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Marshall University </a> . </p><p> They’re found at all elevations in streams west of the Allegheny Front. </p><p> Male hellbenders fertilize then stay with their mate’s 200 to 400 eggs for about 60 days, and it takes about two years for larvae to transform. </p><p> Marshall Univeristy says that while they’re commonly thought to be venomous, they’re not. So if you’re out fishing and accidentally catch one, you can safely release them. </p><a class="promo-link__link" href="https://www.wvnstv.com/top-stories/top-stories-beckley/beckley-events-happening-in-november/" rel="nofollow"> Beckley events happening in November </a><h2> Cow Knob salamander </h2><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=30ETnQ_0iujOIAI00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=30ETnQ_0iujOIAI00" width="640" height="480" ><figcaption>Cow Knob Salamander (Plethodon punctatus). Credit: Brian Gratwicke via Wikimedia Commons, used under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" rel="nofollow"> Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license </a> . </figcaption></figure><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><p> These difficult-to-find salamanders are thought by scientists at <a href="https://www.marshall.edu/herp/Old/ppunctatus.htm" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Marshall University </a> to be one of West Virginia’s rarest. They are only found in the highest peaks of the Shenandoah and North mountains, in Pendleton, Hardy and Hampshire counties along the Virginia border. </p><p> They’re known for having dark brown bodies with white or cream spots and prominent eyes and generally move less than six feet, unless it’s during mating season, according to the <a href="https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/information/cow-knob-salamander/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources </a> . </p><a class="promo-link__link" href="https://www.wvnstv.com/news/9-to-5-musical-opening-in-beckley/" rel="nofollow"> “9 to 5” musical opening in Beckley </a><h2> Candy darter </h2><figure class="alignright size-large"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1gKWLU_0iujOIAI00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1gKWLU_0iujOIAI00" width="375" height="250" ><figcaption>Candy darter (Etheostoma osburni). Credit: U.S. Fish &amp; Wildlife Service </figcaption></figure><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><p> This bright teal, red, and orange-striped <a href="https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/1396" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> endangered fish species </a> is found in the upper Kanawha River basin, including the Gauley, Greenbrier, and greater New River watersheds in West Virginia. </p><p> They’re only about two to three inches in length and prefer to live in shallow, fast-flowing streams. </p><p> They also help freshwater mussels—which improve water quality—reproduce by helping to transport their larvae, according to <a href="https://dep.wv.gov/WWE/Programs/nonptsource/NPSnews/Documents/CandyDarter-USFWS2018.pdf" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> the U.S. Fish &amp; Wildlife Service </a> . </p><a class="promo-link__link" href="https://www.wvnstv.com/outdoors-wildlife/are-there-mountain-lions-in-wv-dnr-says-no-locals-say-yes/" rel="nofollow" target="&quot;_blank&quot;"> Are there mountain lions in WV? DNR says no, locals say yes </a><h2> Virginia big-eared bat </h2><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figcaption>A Virginia big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus) female in the early spring photographed during a cave survey. Credit: Larisa Bishop-Boros via Wikimedia Commons. Used under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license </a> . </figcaption></figure><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><p> On average, the Virginia big-eared bat is about 9.8 cm long in total, with more than 2.5 cm being ears, according to the <a href="https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/8369" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> U.S. Fish &amp; Wildlife Service </a> . If you aren’t tipped off by their large ears, their belly fur is whiteish rather than brown. </p><p> You can find them in Preston, Randolph, Tucker, Grant, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Hardy, Kanawha, Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh, Summers, Mercer, Wyoming and McDowell counties. </p><p> They are federally endangered in the United States, according to the <a href="https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/information/virginia-big-eared-bat/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources </a> . </p><a class="promo-link__link" href="https://www.wvnstv.com/outdoors-wildlife/nwtf-announces-2023-grand-national-calling-championships-hall-of-fame-class%ef%bf%bc%ef%bf%bc/" rel="nofollow"> Turkey Calling hall of famers added for 2023 </a><h2> Freshwater jellyfish </h2><figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3lHGNZ_0iujOIAI00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3lHGNZ_0iujOIAI00" width="512" height="383" ></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0MFENG_0iujOIAI00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0MFENG_0iujOIAI00" width="640" height="428" ></figure><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-caption">Courtesy: USGS, Courtesy: Biotom via <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> WikiCommons </a> ) </figcaption></figure><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><p> Yes, they exist. West Virginia is <a href="https://www.wboy.com/wv-outdoors/did-you-know-there-are-freshwater-jellyfish-in-west-virginia/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> one of many landlocked states </a> that have freshwater jellyfish in its lakes and rivers. </p><p> The United States Geological Survey has confirmed their presence in Berkeley, Braxton, Cabell, Calhoun, Fayette, Grant, Greenbrier, Hardy, Harrison, Jackson, Lewis, Lincoln, Logan, Marshall, Mason, Mercer, Monongalia, Morgan, Nicholas, Pleasants, Preston, Raleigh, Ritchie, Wayne, Wirt and Wood counties. </p><a class="promo-link__link" href="https://www.wvnstv.com/outdoors-wildlife/did-you-know-there-are-freshwater-jellyfish-in-west-virginia/" rel="nofollow" target="&quot;_blank&quot;"> Did you know there are freshwater jellyfish in West Virginia? </a><h2> Allegheny woodrat </h2><figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2iLcDk_0iujOIAI00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2iLcDk_0iujOIAI00" width="576" height="719" ><figcaption>Allegheny woodrats were captured, tagged and released in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park this summer. Credit: K. Black, Radford University via the National Park Service </figcaption></figure><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><p> This species of “pack rat” is actually more closely related to a mouse than a rat. </p><p> They prefer occupying natural areas rather than human structures, usually living alone unless it’s breeding season, according to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/nature/allegheny-woodrat.htm" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> the National Park Service </a> (NPS). Their defining features include large ears and white bellies, as well as their completely fur-covered tails. </p><p> Although they were believed locally extinct in many parts of the Allegheny Mountains, they were recently <a href="https://www.wboy.com/wv-outdoors/animal-believed-to-be-locally-extinct-found-in-west-virginia-park-for-first-time-in-20-years/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> found in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park for the first time in 20 years </a> . </p><a class="promo-link__link" href="https://www.wvnstv.com/news/video-shows-wild-turkey-causing-chaos-in-ohio-home-crashing-out-of-window/" rel="nofollow" target="&quot;_blank&quot;"> Video shows wild turkey causing chaos in Ohio home, crashing out of window </a><p> The Allegheny woodrat has a global conservation status of G3, or vulnerable, meaning they’re at “moderate risk of extinction or elimination due to restricted range, relatively few populations, recent and widespread declines, or other factors,” according to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/nature/allegheny-woodrat.htm" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> the NPS </a> . </p><i> Copyright 2022 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. </i><p><a href="https://www.wvnstv.com" rel="nofollow"> For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS. </a></p></div></body>

Mountain View, CA

While West Virginia may be better known for its peculiar cryptids, it's home to some peculiar real animals as well.