The Bronx Zoo is raising a rare species of salamander to help save it from extinction.

The zoo says the 41 juvenile eastern hellbenders were hatched at the Buffalo Zoo in 2009 from eggs collected in western New York. They will be released into the wild once they are mature enough, in about 2 1/2 years.

Hellbenders are native to New York State where they are listed as a species of special concern. They are threatened by pollution and habitat destruction.

When fully grown, the aquatic creatures are 2-feet long. They have flattened heads and bodies.

They are also known as devil dogs, Allegheny alligators and snot otters.

Only two larger salamander species are known to exist: the Japanese giant salamander and the Chinese hellbender.