Species group · Amphibians

Salamanders

WAnimals has 14 species of salamander, spread across 6 families (Ambystomatidae, Cryptobranchidae, Dicamptodontidae, Hynobiidae, Plethodontidae, Salamandridae).

14 species
6 families
58 countries
128 parks
Weight
4 g – 60 kg
Length
8 cm – 1.8 m
Lifespan
10 – 60 years

Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 14.

All 14 species of salamanders on WAnimals

Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Alpine SalamanderLeast Concern

Alpine Salamander

Salamandra atra

12 countries8 parks
Fire SalamanderLeast Concern

Fire Salamander

Salamandra salamandra

45 countries18 parks
Vulnerable

Japanese Giant Salamander

Andrias japonicus

5 countries6 parks
Least Concern

Siberian Salamander

Salamandrella keyserlingii

6 countries14 parks
Vulnerable

Golden-striped Salamander

Chioglossa lusitanica

2 countries10 parks
Vulnerable

Hellbender

Cryptobranchus alleganiensis

1 country4 parks
Least Concern

Northern Slimy Salamander

Plethodon glutinosus

1 country9 parks
Least Concern

Mexican Mushroomtongue Salamander

Bolitoglossa mexicana

4 countries7 parks
Least Concern

Spotted Salamander

Ambystoma maculatum

2 countries29 parks
Least Concern

Coastal Giant Salamander

Dicamptodon tenebrosus

2 countries7 parks
Critically Endangered

Chinese Giant Salamander

Andrias davidianus

1 country7 parks
Near Threatened

Japanese Black Salamander

Hynobius nigrescens

1 country17 parks
Least Concern

Eastern Tiger Salamander

Ambystoma tigrinum

3 countries33 parks
Endangered

Shenandoah Salamander

Plethodon shenandoah

1 country1 park

Conservation status

8 Least Concern3 Vulnerable1 Critically Endangered1 Near Threatened1 Endangered

5 especies in this group están en alguna categoría de riesgo real según la UICN.

See the global conservation status

Where they live

Recorded in 58 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

Where to see them

Did you know…

  • It lays no eggs: it gives birth to two fully formed young after a gestation of up to three years.

    From Alpine Salamander

  • It has the longest gestation of any land vertebrate: two to three years depending on altitude, longer than any elephant or whale, and only one or two fully formed young are born.

    From Alpine Salamander

  • It needs no water to breed: the embryos develop entirely inside the mother, feeding on the unfertilised eggs and on uterine secretions, an adaptation to high mountains where standing water freezes.

    From Alpine Salamander

  • Unlike most amphibians, it holds its eggs internally and gives birth to fully formed larvae.

    From Fire Salamander

  • Its black and yellow pattern is a warning about the toxins it secretes through its skin.

    From Fire Salamander

  • It can live for over 50 years in captivity, an exceptional record for an amphibian.

    From Fire Salamander

  • Males compete aggressively for spawning pits under the riverbed, defending them fiercely as 'den masters'.

    From Japanese Giant Salamander

  • It eats fish, insects, crustaceans and small mammals.

    From Japanese Giant Salamander

Ecosystems

See every species group · Explore the species one by one