Salamander Facts

Salamanders are amphibians that resemble lizards in appearance. Even though they have almost similar body shapes, both are entirely different. While lizards have scaly bodies, salamanders have smooth skin without scales. Salamanders are mostly found in and around water bodies. These animals are classified under the order Caudata, which consists of ten families that are again grouped in three suborders. There are more than 500 species of salamanders that are found across the globe, especially in temperate regions. In fact, these animals are found in almost all continents, except Australia and Antarctica. Even most of the African regions do not have any species. Most of them are found in North America.

Facts about Salamanders

Now you know that these amphibians are mostly found in and around water bodies, like ponds, streams and lakes. While most of the adults are found to be terrestrial, some are aquatic and others are arboreal. There are some salamander species that are found to dwell underground, especially in moist and damp areas like wetlands.

• A typical salamander has a slender body with a long tail and short nose. Most of them have four limbs, but there are some species with no limbs or reduced limbs. Their forelimbs have four toes each and the hind limbs have five. Another interesting fact is that they don't have claws.
• While most of the species are small in size, there are some like the Chinese giant salamander, that can grow up to two meters in length and a weight of around 65 kilograms. In fact, it is the largest living amphibian. You may also find small species with a length of around two to three centimeters.
• They have smooth moist skin that is shed at regular intervals. It has been observed that most of the salamanders consume the skin that is shed. The mucus secreted by the skin keeps the animal moist in dry weather and also acts as a lubricant, while they are in water.
• While some species have bright skin color or designs, in some others, only males sport bright body colors. Red salamanders have bright red body color with round black spots. However, there are certain species that have white/pink translucent skin. This is mainly seen in those species that dwell underground or in caves.
• Even the process of respiration in these animals differ from one species to another. While some of them have lungs, others have only gill slits. Some others have both lungs as well as gill slits. In some species, internal gills as well as gill slits are seen. Some of the terrestrial salamanders are found to breathe through the skin only.
• One of the interesting salamander facts is that these animals are capable of autotomy, which can be described as self amputation done by an animal, as a part of self-defense mechanism. They try to divert the attention of the predator by dropping their tails, that wiggle for sometime.
• Their diet consists of insects, worms, small animals and snail. Some of the terrestrial salamanders stick out their hyoid bone, along with the tongue, for catching prey. The sticky end of the tongue helps the animal to catch the prey. If you want to one as pet, then, proper salamander food must be provided for a healthy growth.
• Most of these amphibians are nocturnal animals that are averse to bright light. They have the ability to regenerate lost limbs and other body parts. Breeding is mostly done in water. Eggs are laid in water bodies and these eggs develop to aquatic larvae with gills. In some terrestrial species, eggs are laid on land and in that case, larval stage is completed inside the eggs only.

As salamanders are getting increasingly popular as pets, you must have some knowledge about these animals, if you plan to adopt one as a pet. If you have such plans, there are many options like the spotted type or tiger salamander. However, the above said is only a brief overview about the animal and if you want to adopt one, you must acquire good knowledge about salamander care, with regard to that particular species.