LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Salamander: Skin
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Yes, but a salamander is not always a newt. Confused? The word "salamander" is the name for an entire group, or scientific order, of amphibians that have tails as adults. This includes animals commonly known as newts and sirens. Most of the animals in the salamander order look like a cross between a lizard and a frog. They have moist, smooth skin like frogs, and long tails like lizards.
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A glimpse of a salamander is often the highlight of any trip into a cave. Unfortunately, salamanders are becoming increasingly rare around the globe. A recent study estimated that salamander and frog populations around the globe have decreased 60-70% over the past few decades (Monastersky, 2001). Possible explanations for this trend include: habitat loss, disease, and pollution. The influence of pollution is intriguing because of the salamander's possible role as an indicator of the general health of an environment. Salamanders breathe through their skin, which leads to a very low tolerance of environmental pollution.
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Spotted salamanders are usually fifteen to eighteen centimeters long. They, as well as other mole salamander species, have strong legs, so they can dig. Most species have four legs, but some aquatic salamanders have two. Some are vibrantly colored, and some are dull. Bright colors are from pigments under the skin. Spotted salamanders are: dark gray or black on their dorsal side and slate gray on their ventral side. They have two rows of yellow spots on their back from head to tail.
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The long-toed salamander is the more common salamander in this region. It frequents areas of wet streamside vegetation and sodden, rotten logs. Salamanders must live in wet places because they have no lungs and breathe through their skin, which must be kept moist.
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Because the Texas blind salamander is adapted for living in water underground, it has no eyes, only two small black dots under the skin. It has little skin pigment, is white in color, and has red external gills used to get oxygen from the water.
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