Amphibians · Caudata · Salamandridae

Fire Salamander

Salamandra salamandra

Least Concern

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

Unlike most amphibians it is ovoviviparous or viviparous depending on the subspecies: it holds the eggs internally and gives birth to fully formed larvae.

Weight

16 g – 56 g

Size

14 cm – 30 cm

Lifespan

22 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Amphibian Temperate forest

45countries 18parks13same family

Fun facts

Unlike most amphibians, it holds its eggs internally and gives birth to fully formed larvae.
Its black and yellow pattern is a warning about the toxins it secretes through its skin.
It can live for over 50 years in captivity, an exceptional record for an amphibian.
defensaIt secretes skin toxins that deter most predators; in antiquity it was wrongly believed to survive fire.
reproducciónIn some Iberian populations the females are viviparous, giving birth to fully formed young rather than laying eggs.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
Habitat & environment: Damp shaded woodland close to streams or ponds across central and southern Europe, extending into North Africa and the Near East
Birth weight: Born as an aquatic larva after a live birth (the female retains the eggs internally)
Size at birth: Born as an aquatic larva
Sexual maturity: 2-4 years
Litter / clutch size: 10 to 30 live larvae per birth
Lifespan in captivity: Documented record of over 50 years in a specimen at the Koenig Museum in Germany

Sources consulted: Amphibienschutz; Animal Diversity Web; Inside Ecology; Animalia.bio; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); PMC (environmental drivers demography study); Britannica