The hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), also known as the hellbender salamander, is a species of aquatic giant salamander endemic to eastern North America. A member of the family Cryptobranchidae, the hellbender is the only member of the genus Cryptobranchus, and is joined only by one other genus of salamanders (Andrias, which contains the Japanese and Chinese giant salamanders) at the family level. The hellbender, which is much larger than all other sala