Cryptobranchus Alleganiensis (hellbenders)

The hellbender in the early years of civilization was viewed in unbelievable and weird ways since not much knowledge was known about this type of salamander. The salamander got its name from looking like a "creature from hell" that was returning. In the middle ages the people believed that these salamanders were born from fire also in some languages which wasn't noted in the article, the world salamander means "fire lizard'. From this meaning I could understand why someone would identify this salamander as being born from fire, its flat head and folded skin does look like it could've been burned because when skin is burned it creates a flaky folded skin. In contrast if you really look this salamander, the hellbender looks more soggy than burned. A funny note from Leonardo da Vinci; salamanders "has no digestive organ, gets no food but from fire which renews its scaly skin." From this comment, how could a creature live underwater and consume fire? Did they believe that fire lived inside this salamander? Did they think it didn't have gill slits?  The only reason they thought these were born from fire was because of it being seen scurrying out of damp log that were burned for fuel. This being seen wouldn't the salamander want to stay under the log or new the site of the deforestation so it could consume it's "source of food". 

The attitude that is depicted in this article describes the negative viewpoint on this salamander because of its abnormal appearance of a flat head and folded skin. The Cryptobranchus Alleganiensis is protected in North Carolina, but its habitat has been impacted by dams. The dams have caused the free-flowing water to be slow flowing which isn't suitable for the hellbenders. I hope that this salamander would continue to survive because it looks similar to the first discovered amphibians like the Tiktaalik with its flat head shape. I also think it would be important for generations to see this amphibian living rather than in a museum so they could study it.  The author of the article does justify the facts of this salamander which leads to a positive out look of the Cryptobranchus Alleganiensis. I think people from the middle ages just didn't have knowledge of creatures and viewed a lot of them as mythical with powers from the "Gods". Majority of the creatures viewed as evil were actually harmless.