NL·0670Herbarium of the Nature Library
- Name
- Salamandra salamandra
- Family
- Salamandridae
- Native to
- Central and southern Europe, from Iberia to the Balkans and the Carpathians
- Habitat
- Deciduous forest, Mountain streams, Hilly woodland
Fire salamander
Salamandra salamandra
Also calledFeuersalamander (German) · Salamandre tachetée (French) · Salamandra pezzata (Italian) · Salamandra común (Spanish) · Salamander (Dutch)
A glossy black-and-yellow salamander of European forests, out mainly on rainy nights. Its skin secretes toxic alkaloids, and its colours warn predators. It is now threatened by a fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, which has wiped out populations in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The fire salamander is a common species of salamander found in Europe. Wikipedia
What it can do
- iSecretes samandarin, a neurotoxic alkaloid, from glands in its skin
- iiCan squirt toxic secretions from glands along its spine
- iiiFemales give birth to live larvae in cool streams; some populations give birth to fully formed young
- ivCan live for decades
In the field
Field marks
- aGlossy black with bold yellow (or orange or red) spots or stripes
- bLarge parotoid glands behind the eyes
- cRows of glands along the back
- dStocky body, short tail
- Not to be confused with
- The Alpine salamander (S. atra) is all black and lives high in the Alps. The Corsican and Near Eastern fire salamanders are separate species with their own ranges. North American spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) are dark with yellow spots but live on another continent.
- Where to see it
- Beech forests of Germany, Switzerland, France, northern Spain and the Balkans; wet nights in spring and autumn
- When
- Active spring to autumn on rainy nights; larvae born in spring
Listen
Looking for field recordings…
Life & habits
- Diet
- Worms, slugs, insects, spiders
- Habitat
- Damp deciduous forests near clean streams, in hilly or mountain country
- Size
- ~15–25 cm
- Lifespan
- ~20 years in the wild; 50+ in captivity
Active at night, especially after rain. Its toxin is harmful if swallowed and stings eyes and mouth, so wash your hands after touching one.
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Native range
Central and southern Europe, from Iberia to the Balkans and the Carpathians
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
Woodcuts and engravings matched from the Source Library’s scanned books by name. Plates marked “relative” show a close kin rather than this exact species. Click a plate to read the page it came from, with translation.
Unterhaltungen aus der Naturgeschichte / 3 Die Amphibien
Wilhelm, Gottlieb Tobias · 1794 · p.417
Wonders of Creatures
Anonymous · 1500 · p.172
The Tudor Pattern Book (Herbal-Bestiary)
Anonymous · 1525 · p.85
History of Animals, Book I: On Viviparous Quadrupeds
Conrad Gessner · 1554 · p.151
Margarita philosophica
Reisch, Gregorius · 1504 · p.433
Commentaries on the Six Books of Pedanius Dioscorides on Medical Matter
Pietro Andrea Mattioli · 1565 · p.531
Garden of Health
Jacob Meydenbach · 1491 · p.584
Garden of Health
Jacob Meydenbach · 1491 · p.583
Commentaries on the Six Books of Dioscorides on Medical Matter
Pietro Andrea Mattioli · 1563 · p.325
History of Animals, Book II: On Oviparous Quadrupeds
Conrad Gessner · 1586 · p.93
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Salamandra salamandra in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
Marginalia
Pliny the Elder wrote that the salamander was so cold that it could put out fires, and medieval bestiaries and Paracelsus made it the elemental spirit of fire. The belief probably arose from salamanders crawling out of logs thrown on the fire.
Curiosity
François I of France chose a salamander in flames as his emblem, with the motto 'Nutrisco et extinguo' ('I nourish and extinguish'); it is carved all over the Château de Chambord.
Kinship
Photographs: iNaturalist contributors under the licences shown. Records: GBIF.org. Historical plates: Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0; originals public domain). Summary text: Nature Library editors and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Medicinal and edibility notes are historical and educational, not advice. iNaturalist taxon 27726.