 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 . 
