A family of aquatic salamanders including the hellbender, characterized by flattened bodies and hidden or concealed gill structures.
From 'cryptobranch-' (hidden-gill) with the Latinized family suffix '-idae' used in zoological taxonomy. This formal taxonomic term was established in the 19th century to classify this specific group of primitive salamanders.
The Cryptobranchidae family includes some of Earth's weirdest amphibians—the hellbender looks like a wrinkled underwater pancake and breathes mostly through its skin. They're living fossils that haven't changed much in 300 million years.
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