SALAMANDERS: Salamanders are nocturnal. They typically hide under rocks or in other cool places during daylight hours, coming out to eat in the cooler night air.

Typically salamanders lay eggs. Certain species can lay up to 450 eggs at a time. Some salamanders stay curled around their eggs until they hatch, while others wrap them in leaves for protection. A salamander egg is clear and jelly-like. They are typically laid in water, and salamanders are born without legs.

Other species, however, such as the alpine salamander and the fire salamander, give birth to live offspring.

Young salamanders in the larval stage are called efts. They grow legs as they develop. They keep their tails.

Some salamanders can lose their tails as a form of protection in an attack. One type of salamander can lose limbs and regrow them later. That species is called the axolotl, which is an aquatic salamander. Due to its special immune system, it can also replace damaged organs.

According to the International Conservation of Nature, which compiles a Red List of Threatened Species, hundreds of species of salamanders are at risk. One species that is listed as critically endangered is the blunthead salamander, found in Mexico. This species is on the decline and there is currently no population estimate available.

Salamanders and newts are both amphibians. Most are born with gills, then later develop lungs. Some, however, have neither gills nor lungs but breathe through their skin.

Newts are part of the salamander family but live on land and have dry, bumpy skin. Salamanders can live on land or in the water and typically have smooth, wet skin. However, both salamanders and newts need to live near water, even if they live on land. Without water, they get too hot and dry and cannot survive.

Salamanders and newts are carnivores. They live on slow-moving prey, such as worms and snails. They are not quick themselves.

North America is home to more salamanders than any other continent.