 Salamanders never have more than four toes on their front legs and five on their rear legs , but some species have fewer digits and others lack hind limbs . Their permeable skin usually makes them reliant on habitats in or near water or other cool , damp places . Some salamander species are fully aquatic throughout their lives , some take to the water intermittently , and others are entirely terrestrial as adults . Unique among vertebrates , they are capable of regenerating lost limbs , as well as other damaged parts of their bodies . Members of the family Salamandridae are mostly known as newts and lack the costal grooves along the sides of their bodies typical of other groups . The skin of some species contains the powerful poison tetrodotoxin and these salamanders tend to be slow @-@ moving and have bright warning coloration to advertise their toxicity . Salamanders typically lay eggs in water and have aquatic larvae , but great variation occurs in their lifecycles . In some species and some harsh environments , salamanders reproduce while still in the larval state . 
