In crowded conditions, salamanders may attack each other, and bite off tails, toes or even entire limbs. This is not as disastrous as it looks, since salamanders have extraordinary regenerative powers, and can regenerate a lost toe or even a lost limb. Crowded conditions also result in a condition called 'salamander leprosy', in which the skin splits and bleeds, and the toes and tail rot and drop off. The condition can sometimes be treated with antibioitcs, but is still usually fatal. Biology and Anatomy Salamanders are often mistaken for lizards, but they can be distinguished by their smooth moist skin, the lack of claws on their toes, and the lack of a visible ear hole.
Larval salamanders look much like their parents except that they have gills.
Unlike frog tadpoles, salamander larvae have four well-developed legs which they use for swimming. Salamanders are ectotherms and their bodies take on the temperatures of their surroundings, but they have a greater tolerance to colder temperatures than do reptiles. Contrary to myth, salamanders cannot survive in fire. Salamanders are not active animals, and during its lifetime an individual salamander may not move more than a mile. Although nearly all salamander larvae possess gills, these are usually lost at adulthood.