There are a number of ways to tell a lizard from a salamander. The latter is amphibious and has moist, non-scaly skin, whereas the former is terrestrial and rough to the touch. Salamanders have four fingers and five toes, unlike lizards, which have five of each.

Another key indicator is the way they move. Lizards are long-limbed and tend to creep, while salamanders have shorter legs and can scuttle at quite a pace.

And if that is not enough to go on, the claws and ear openings say it all. Salamanders have neither one nor the other, while nature equipped lizards with both.