Salamanders are a group of
amphibians typically characterized by a
lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All present-day salamander families are grouped together under the scientific name
Urodela. Salamander diversity is most abundant in the Northern Hemisphere and most species are found in the
Holarctic ecozone, with some species present in the
Neotropical zone.