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When the ancient Greeks built ceremonial fires, a strange thing would occur when they set the logs on fire. As the wood took flame, out of the pile would crawl these strange lizard-like creatures.

These beings walked with a loping gait, and were often brightly colored. Their black eyes would reflect the flames, their sudden appearance shocking the onlookers. “Perhaps these creatures lived in the fire,” thought the ancient people. They took to calling these little monsters “salamanders,” or fire-lizards.

Unlike lizards, however, salamanders are part of the moist-skinned family of amphibians and have no scales. In fact, the salamander’s skin houses many glands, which secrete mucus to help the skin stay dampened. Some salamanders are able to release a toxic or irritating substance through their skin when they are threatened, so watch out! Then, when they outgrow their skin, they shed, or molt, as often as a few times a week, depending on the species.

How can you identify a salamander? Well, its body generally measures 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) long, and carries a long tail. The salamander has four legs, but has no claws on its toes. Its eyes can appear large and luminous, and the mouth contains small teeth, which are nestled in its upper and lower jaws. Some salamanders have teeth lodged in the roof of their mouth! Yowza!

Though they cannot hear sounds that occur in the air, salamanders can sense the vibration of movement in the ground. They do, however, have a very refined sense of smell and taste that helps them find and enjoy those yummy bugs and worms. Some salamanders are able to catch their dinner with a flick of their long, sticky tongue.

Salamanders are classified as ectotherms, or cold-blooded animals, whose body temperatures reflect the environment around them. Whereas some salamanders live happily in the water, some prefer to live both on land and water, and some live fully on land. But don’t be fooled by the fire-lizard myth-like all other amphibians, salamanders require a moist environment in order to absorb oxygen through their skin. So, if you see one basking in the sun, it’s probably a lizard, not a salamander.

On a sad note, salamanders have not been doing so well in recent times. Even though they are known to descend from some of the earliest creatures with vertebrae to live on land, they cannot survive in the polluted waters that humans have created. What can we do to help? Well, keep in mind that the chemical products used in the home can affect our friends the amphibians. By using natural products in our homes, we can help insure that salamanders will be making surprising appearances for many years to come.