I have always been fascinated with newts and salamanders. They may be my favorite amphibians and apparently I am not the only person that feels this way. Some people get grossed out by anything amphibian. If you are one of these people, hang in there, you may find out they are pretty cool animals. Yes, they may look like a lizard, but they aren’t. These slimy, secretive, slithery, amphibious creatures of the Salamandridae family may just win you over. Let’s turn over some rocks and see what we can find out about these animals.

Both newts and salamanders belong to the same family and it isn’t always easy to tell the two apart. Basically it gets a little confusing, because all newts are salamanders. However, not all salamanders are newts. Newts are more terrestrial and live on the land most of their lives, and salamanders stay in the water most of their lives. They are aquatic. Salamanders have smoother skin than newts. Newt skin feels bumpy and thicker, more like a toad. All salamanders need water to survive – even newts because that is an important part of the life cycle. 

One of the most interesting facts about salamanders is they are one of the few vertebrates in the world that can regenerate body parts when injured. I’m not talking about a tail like a lizard. These guys can regenerate their tails, legs, eyes and even their heart. Scientists have been studying this to see how it can help humans. Can you even imagine if scientists learn how to isolate this gene and use it to help humans who have had an accident and lost a body part? Holy cow! That would be life changing.

There are almost 600 types of salamanders world-wide. These creatures come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Two of the most famous salamanders come from Mexico and are endangered. The first is the Thorius arboreus. This is the smallest salamander known. It is less than an inch long. The second famous Mexican salamander is the Axolotl who is definitely pretty. Other brightly colored salamanders are the red bellied, yellow spotted and the tiger salamanders. 

Owning a salamander or newt is not easy and taking a wild salamander home to make it a pet is a horrible idea. Don’t do it. Most won't live very long in captivity. Do not turn one that you got at a pet store loose into the wild. They carry diseases that will make wild animals sick.