The hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), also known as the hellbender salamander, is a species of giant salamander endemic to eastern North America. A member of the Cryptobranchidae family, hellbenders are the only members of the Cryptobranchus genus, and are joined only by one other genus of salamanders (Andrias, which contains the Japanese and Chinese giant salamanders) at the family level. These salamanders are much larger than any others in their endemic range, they employ an unusual means...