Salamanders are sometimes referred to as lizards without scales. If they did have scales, they could easily be mistaken for lizards because of their body shape. All of the aquatic species have a tail that is laterally compressed and which is often crested. The land dwellers have a rounded or only slightly compressed tail. There are even some species, especially tree-dwellers, that have a tail that is kind of prehensile.
Some lungless salamanders sever their tail, like a lizard, as a diversion when threatened.
This process is called autonomy. Don't worry, though, it regenerates after a while. The majority of s pecies have their adults fully grown at ten to twenty centimeters or four to eight inches. Salamanders continue growing even after they reach sexual maturity. That is the reason that they shed the superficial horny layer of skin, called slough or exuvia .