A group of small, primarily aquatic salamanders belonging to the family Salamandridae, often characterized by their ability to regenerate limbs, eyes, spinal cords, hearts, intestines, and jaws. As amphibians, they undergo a metamorphosis from larval stage to adulthood, and they fall under the broader classification of animals. Placozoans, although not directly related to newts, are also a part of the animal kingdom, thus connecting all these terms under the larger umbrella of zoology.