Skink vs. Salamander

By Jaxson

Main Difference

The main difference between Skink and Salamander is that the Skink is a family of reptiles and Salamander is a order of amphibians

  • Skink

    Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae and the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species, the Scincidae are one of the most diverse families of lizards. Common skinks include many different kinds such as the slender skink, snake-eyed skink and the skinks of Plestiodon are among the common skinks.

  • Salamander

    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 order Urodela. Salamander diversity is highest in the Northern Hemisphere and most species are found in the Holarctic ecozone, with some species present in the Neotropical zone.

    Salamanders rarely 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. They are capable of regenerating lost limbs, as well as other damaged parts of their bodies. Researchers hope to reverse engineer the remarkable regenerative processes for potential human medical applications, such as brain and spinal cord injury treatment or preventing harmful scarring during heart surgery recovery. 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; 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. Some species in harsh environments reproduce while still in the larval state.

Wikipedia
  • Skink (noun)

    A shin of beef.

    “lean sirloin, skink and pot-roast”

  • Skink (noun)

    A boiled shin of beef.

  • Skink (noun)

    Usually preceded by a descriptive word: a soup or pottage made using other ingredients.

    “Cullen skink”

  • Skink (noun)

    A lizard of the family Scincidae, having small or reduced limbs or none at all and long tails that are regenerated when shed.

  • Skink (noun)

    A drink.

  • Skink (verb)

    To serve (a drink).

  • Skink (verb)

    To give as a present.

  • Salamander (noun)

    A long, slender, chiefly terrestrial amphibian of the order Caudata, superficially resembling a lizard.

  • Salamander (noun)

    A creature much like a lizard that is resistant to and lives in fire, hence the elemental being of fire.

  • Salamander (noun)

    A heraldic representation of the mythological creature, typically accompanied by flames.

  • Salamander (noun)

    A metal utensil with a flat head which is heated and put over a dish to brown the top.

  • Salamander (noun)

    A small broiler (North America) or grill (Britain), used in professional cookery primarily for browning.

    “The chef first put the steak under the salamander to sear the outside.”

  • Salamander (noun)

    The pouched gopher, noshow=1, of the southern United States.

  • Salamander (noun)

    A large poker.

  • Salamander (noun)

    Solidified material in a furnace hearth.

  • Salamander (verb)

    To use a salamander (cooking utensil) in a cooking process.

Wiktionary
  • Skink (noun)

    a smooth-bodied lizard with short or absent limbs, typically burrowing in sandy ground, and occurring throughout tropical and temperate regions.

Oxford Dictionary

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