19 Difference Between Salamander and Lizard with Similarities

What is the difference between salamander and lizard?

Salamander and lizards are different from each other. Salamander is an amphibian and has a moist scale, non-scaly skin. Lizards are rough to touch and have scales. Salamanders have four fingers and five toes. Lizards have five fingers and five toes.

The main difference between salamanders and lizards is that salamander has moist non-scaly skin while lizards have dry, scaly skin.

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Comparison Table (Salamander Vs Lizard)

Characteristics	Salamander	Lizard
Meaning	Refers to a tailed amphibian with moist and non-scaly skin.	Refers to a reptile with a long tail, four legs, rough and scaly skin.
Classification	Belongs to class amphibia.	Belongs to class Reptilia.
Size	It small in body size.	It is comparatively large in body size.
Length of limbs	They have shorter limbs.	They have longer limbs.
Locomotion	They tend to crepe.	They scuttle at quite a pace.
Number of fingers and toes	They have four fingers and five toes.	They have five fingers and five toes.
Skin	They have moist, non-scaly skin.	They have dry scaly skin.
Claws and ear openings	They do not have claws and ear openings.	They have claws and ear openings.
Habitat	They live both on land and water.	They live on land.
Cranial nerves	They have ten pairs of cranial nerves.	They have twelve pairs of cranial nerves.
Excretion	The Nitrogenous waste is majorly ammonia.	The nitrogenous waste is mainly uric acid.
Reproduction	They are viviparous animals.	They are viviparous animals.
Fertilization	They have internal fertilization.	They have external fertilization.
Egg covering	Their eggs are covered with a transparent gelatinous covering.	They have amniotic eggs which are hard.
Birth	They are born in water or marsh fields with gills.	They are born on the land.
Metamorphosis	They undergo incomplete metamorphosis.	They do not undergo metamorphosis.
Respiration	The larvae breathe through gills while the adults breathe through lings.	They breathe through the lungs.
Defense	They have secretions of the glands in the skin that protect them.	They bite sharp spines or shed their tails.
Activity	They are active at night.	They are active during the day.

What is a Salamander?

Salamanders are amphibians with tails and with no scales on their bodies and their skins are moist. They belong to the class amphibia. Their sizes range from 6 inches to 6 feet. They are cold-blooded animals. Their internal temperatures do not change with the change in the environment.

They have short legs with five toes and four fingers. They go through an incomplete metamorphosis whereby their life stages include; egg, larvae, and then adult. The larvae live in water so it has gills through which it breathes. The adult salamander breathes through the lungs.

They require standing water in which they breed and lay eggs. They are carnivores. They feed entirely on meat. They eat animal tissue as food. They prefer slow-moving prey such as snails, slugs, worms, insects, and fish.

They are nocturnal hence active at night. They are brightly colored to avoid predation. They also have poison in their glands which are used to kill their prey. They mostly live on the land although it depends on the species.

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What is a Lizard?

Lizards belong to the class Reptilia. They have long tails, four legs, rough and scaly skin. They have five fingers and toes. The largest lizard is the Komodo dragon while the smallest is the gecko. They have clawed feet that enable them to easily climb the surfaces.

They have an ear-opening and movable eyelids. They have sharp eyesight that enables them to spot their prey and predators easily. They keep away from their predators by camouflaging to their surrounding environment.

Most lizards are carnivores and they feed on insects while a few are omnivores whereby they feed on both animals and plant matter. They are cold-blooded animals hence active during the summer season. They are diurnal whereby they are active during the day.

Main Differences between Salamander and Lizard

1. Salamanders belong to class amphibia while lizards belong to class Reptilia.
2. Salamanders have moist and non-scaly skin while lizards have dry, rough, and scaly skin.
3. Salamanders are small in body size while lizards are comparatively large.
4. Salamanders have shorter limbs while lizards have longer limbs.
5. Salamanders have four fingers and five toes while lizards have five fingers and five toes.
6. Salamanders are nocturnal while lizards are diurnal animals.
7. Salamanders live both on land and in the water while lizards live on land only.
8. Salamanders do not have claws and ear-opening while lizards have claws and ear opening.
9. Salamanders go through incomplete metamorphosis while lizards do not go through metamorphosis.
10. Salamander larvae breathe through gills and adults breathe through lungs while lizards breathe through lungs.

Similarities between Salamander and Lizard

1. They are both vertebrates.
2. Both are cold-blooded animals.
3. Both have four limbs.
4. They both have tails.
5. Both are carnivores.
6. Both lay eggs.

In Conclusion

Salamander and lizards are both vertebrates and they are cold-blooded animals. They are similar in appearance. However, the two are different from each other. Salamanders belong to class amphibia and lizards belong to class Reptilia. Salamanders live both on land and in the water while lizards live only on land. The main feature that makes salamander different from lizards is the nature of their skins.

Sources and references:

• https://www.southwestern.edu/live/news/13059-the-science-and-art-of-salamanders
• https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/title/snake-and-salamander
• https://norriscenter.ucsc.edu/collections-and-resources/reptiles-and-amphibians/index.html