Salamanders

Salamanders and newts are aquatic or amphibious animals in the order Caudata (sometimes known as the Urodela). There are about 350 species of salamanders, included in 54 genera. Salamanders have an ancient fossil lineage, extending back to the Upper Jurassic period, more than 140 million years ago.

Like other amphibians, salamanders have a complex life cycle, the stages of which are egg, larva, and adult. The morphology, physiology, and ecology of salamanders in their different stages are very different, and the transitional process involves a complex metamorphosis.

Salamanders are most abundant in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, with fewer species occurring elsewhere. The greatest number of species of salamanders occurs in the eastern United States, and to a lesser degree in eastern China.