Amphibians · Caudata · Salamandridae

Alpine Salamander

Salamandra atra

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The alpine salamander is an amphibian of the family Salamandridae. Four subspecies have been described: Salamandra atra atra, Salamandra atra aurorae, Salamandra atra prenjensis and Salamandra atra pasubiensis.

Size

9 cm – 15 cm

Lifespan

20 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestMountainTundraInsectivore Nocturnal Solitary Amphibian Temperate forest Mountain Tundra

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Fun facts

GeneralIt lays no eggs: it gives birth to two fully formed young after a gestation of up to three years.
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.
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.
It is glossy black all over, a colouring that lets it absorb heat quickly during the few hours of sunshine in the high Alps.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
Habitat & environment: Alpine meadows, scree and mountain forest of the Alps and the Dinarides, between 800 and 2,800 metres
Sexual maturity: 4 years
Gestation / incubation: Up to 3 years of gestation
Litter / clutch size: 2 live young

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamandra_atra