Salamanders

Salamanders are amphibians with smooth, moist skin, short legs, and long tails that help them swim and balance.

Unlike lizards, they rely on water to survive and often return to it to reproduce. This means they typically live near water or on damp ground to prevent their skin from drying out.

To survive in these damp environments, salamanders breathe in several different ways—some have gills, others develop lungs, and a few absorb oxygen directly through their skin. To do this, their skin must stay moist, so many species live in cool, dark places like caves.

In terms of diet, salamanders are carnivores, feeding on worms, insects, spiders, and other small invertebrates.

To avoid predators, some salamanders display bright warning colors to signal they’re poisonous, while others can shed their tails to escape and later regrow them.

Based on their adaptations, salamanders are of three types: giant salamanders, like hellbenders, are fully aquatic and breathe through skin; advanced types, such as newts, live on land and in water; and sirens are also fully aquatic and breathe with permanent gills.